Not Your Average Aladdin Story
by Andromeda-To-The-Demitria
Summary: Piper was looking for more to her life, and Jason was looking for his sister. First impressions? Not their best. Octavian forces Piper to retrieve an item that could be his ticket to power, holding lives hostage. Now Piper's stuck with a crazy man named Leo, who can supposedly make anything that Piper wishes. Well, almost anything.
1. The Selfless One

Octavian waited upon his horse for the spy.

_This better be worth it_, he thought bitterly. Supposedly, this spy was in possession of something that could help him steal the King Jupiter's position of power, making him King instead.

So here Octavian waited for an hour or more. It was nearly midnight. He was about to give up when he seen a motion of movement coming from a nearby hill. The dot grew larger and larger as it got closer. Finally, it arrived to Octavian.

"You bring something?" Octavian asked the spy jumped of his horse.

"Yes. I do." The spy handed Octavian two gold objects, that appeared to be separate halves of an eagle from what he could tell from the moonlight.

"What are these supposed to do?" Octavian asked.

The spy laughed. "You do not know? Very well, I will explain. Connect the two, and they will lead you to a place that contains a prisoner with a talent. This talent gives the man the ability to make anything. With him, you could achieve great deeds. So great, in fact, that you could overthrow the King."

Octavian mulled this over in his head. "So, I just connect these and get power?"

"More or less," The spy said.

With that, Octavian connected the pieces, making a full eagle. The eagle glowed a bright blue and flew out of Octavian's hand, roaming the landscape.

"After it!" Octavian screamed as he kicked his horse. The two horses sprinted off after the blue eagle. Many hills and valleys later, the eagle nose dived into a high hill. The hill shifted and turned into the face of an eagle.

Octavian stopped his horse by the eagle's beak. "What now, Spy?" He asked, looking into the cave.

"I suppose we enter." The spy answered, waiting for Octavian to go first.

"Oh no, you are going first. I will not be caught in some trap." Octavian scolded.

The spy gulped and hesitantly stepped forward into the beak. Nothing happened, so he continued. Suddenly, the beak rumbled and blew the spy out.

"ONLY THE ONE WITH SELFLESSNESS CAN ENTER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!" The eagle shouted.

Octavian motioned for the spy to try again. The spy stepped in once more. The eagle began to rumble violently, and the spy tried to run out, though the gravel had turned into quick sand. The beak snapped shut and the whole hill collapsed and turned back to normal, with the spy still contained.

The gold eagle flew back to Octavian's hand. Octavian shook his horse's reins and went back to the palace, mulling over the eagle's message. How was he to find the one with selflessness?

* * *

"Hey! Give that back!"

Piper swung onto the nearest rafter hanging from a building, with the bread loaf still in her hand. Moments ago, she had just talked the seller into giving it to her. Unfortunately, he had realized what he had done right after she took it.

"Get her! That girl just took my bread! I want it back!" Piper heard the merchant explaining to the palace guards.

Piper jumped onto the roof and ran across to the next. She leaped around the chimneys on each new roof, careful not to trip. Been there, done that. Piper could hear the guards following her on foot, throwing spears, swords, and other assorted items that aimed to catch her.

She could see her destination: Safety. It was Annabeth and Percy's cottage, and they would always take Piper in when she needed help. Piper darted around an abandoned street vendors cart, making sure to lose the guards. Sure enough, they lost her.

Piper collapsed through the door at Annabeth's cottage, breathing hard and practically hugging the bread loaf. She looked up to see Annabeth and Percy sitting at the table staring at her.

"S-Sorry," Piper gasped.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Little early in the morning to be getting in trouble, don't you think?"

"Not too early for the children to be hungry," Piper said as she got up from the floor.

Percy looked at his wife. "She's got a point."

Annabeth shrugged. "Still Piper, I wish you'd take our offer. You could have a home here! I don't like the fact of a pretty girl like you running wild on the streets. Bad things could happen, I hear about it all the time at the palace." Annabeth said.

Both Annabeth and Percy worked at the palace off and on, taking shifts with the other servants and maids. Sometimes, when Piper wasn't busy Annabeth would tell her all of the latest going ons in the palace.

"Thanks Annabeth, but I can't. All those kids need food, and only a few of us can provide that. If I leave…"

"Okay, I understand." Annabeth said. "Do you want to stay for a while? We have breakfast." Annabeth offered, gesturing to the empty seat.

Piper obliged and sat down. Percy handed her a plate, and Piper ate quickly, making small talk between bites. After she was done, she thanked Percy and Annabeth, and grabbed her loaf of bread.

"Bye, see you again this week maybe several times!" Piper said as she walked out the door. They waved back.

Piper ran down the familiar alleys until she came across the abandoned building at the edge of town. The building housed just about every homeless child in the city. Piper pushed aside the dirty sheet that served as the main door, and was greeted by twenty little kids, who had apparently been waiting for her.

"Hey guys! I have some bread, fresh off the cart!" Piper said as she handed out a small amount to each child, "Enjoy it, because it's all you get today, as always," She reminded them. When all the children had got their share, Piper took the tiny remainder upstairs to everyone else.

Piper lived upstairs with four others, Katie, Conner, Travis, and Will, and each had their turn of stealing food for the day. They were responsible for the kids, and they took care of them everyday like they were their own.

"Wow, you got bread? How did you manage that, Piper?" Conner asked her as she lay it on the dirty table.

Piper blushed. "I've told you a million times! I just ask, and they give it to me."

Travis kicked his feet up on Katie's lap. "Doubt it. They probably just think you're pretty." He stated. Katie pushed Travis's feet off and stood up.

"Are we going to eat, or what?" Katie asked. The boys jumped up and started to divide the bread.

Will tossed a piece to Piper, who tossed it back. "Don't you want some?" He asked.

"No, I'm not hungry," Piper answered. She felt kind of guilty for eating at Annabeth and Percy's, so she didn't want to take anymore unfair food.

Will shrugged. "Suite yourself," and he divided that piece among them. Piper climbed to the third floor, where her room and Will's were, to go rest.

Piper lay on her makeshift bed and stared into her dagger, which she had named Katoptris, or looking-glass. Though Piper had no idea where it had come from, she had had the dagger since she was very young. Sometimes, if Piper was lucky (or not), the dagger would reveal the future through pictures. Then Piper was left to interpret them herself.

As if on cue, the dagger's bronze blade shimmered to show a scene. Piper was holding on the edge of a cliff with one hand, and in the other she held some sort of hammer. She heard a voice frantically yelling, "Throw it, throw it!" as the overhead rocks came caving in. The rocks continued going, until the last thing the vision showed was a sorrowful man with blonde hair and startling blue eyes.

Piper threw her dagger across the room. _Lovely_, she thought, _now I'm seeing my death_.

Still, she crawled under her bed and got her paints out. She dipped a make-shift brush into them and began to paint the image on the wall above her bed, emphasizing the man's face above all. Which wasn't hard to do, she didn't really want to spend that much time on her death.

By the time she had finished the mural, it was twilight. Piper put away her paints and sat in the broken wall which served as a window. Next door, she could hear Will playing on his guitar that Travis and Conner had stole for him on his birthday.

Piper gazed out, staring at the palace. It was grand, shining gold day and night, lit up by the many lanterns that boasted its enormity.

Through Piper's imagination, the abandoned building became that Palace, and instead of being in a broken wall, Piper was on a golden balcony. _Someday_, Piper thought wistfully.

* * *

**So, this is my newest story! How do you like it? Anything you want to happen? I'm always open to suggestions! **


	2. Wax On The Railings

Early morning the next day, Prince Jason was sitting in his throne, listening to his sister and father fight.

"No. I will certainly _not_ get married to some stuck up prince! I don't _care_ who it is! I refuse!" Thalia yelled.

King Jupiter stood. "Thalia. That is enough! Go to your room and prepare for the company we shall have tonight!"

Thalia gave the King a look of pure venom, and stomped out of the room, slamming the door as she did. Jason looked over to his father.

"Dad, maybe…maybe you should reconsider this," Jason pleaded. If Thalia wasn't happy, nobody was happy. And Jason seriously didn't want to deal with an entire palace full of unhappy people.

King Jupiter slammed his hand down on the side of his throne. "Not you too! If you are joining her side, you can go to your room as well!"

His words hurt, but Jason didn't let it show. Instead he bowed and strutted to his room, though not as dramatically as Thalia had.

Jason went up the narrow staircase that lead to the tower he called his room. Jason's room looked as if a pure golden rainbow had thrown up in it. Everything was gold. The bed, nightstand, balcony, everything. To Jason, who had lived in it all his life, it got tiring.

Jason leaned against the balcony railing, and watched the giant kingdom go about its life. Merchants were boasting of their products, commoners were scrambling up and down the streets, and palace guards were observing from every corner.

It was mesmerizing, and Jason wondered what it was like to be a part of the grand city. To not have a temperamental royal family, nobody looking up to you, people watching your every move. Jason knew he was being selfish. Who wouldn't want his life? Not that Jason didn't like power or anything, it was just that he didn't want the strings attached to it.

The door to his room opened. "Hey, do you need anything?"

It was Percy, a sea green-eyed man with black hair. Though Percy was supposed to be Jason's main servant, he served as more of a friend.

"Even if I needed anything, I still wouldn't make you go get it. You know that," Jason told him without emotion.

Percy walked over to Jason. "I know, just doing my job though for once," Percy said, "Is something wrong? You only stare off the balcony when you need to think."

Jason sighed. "Thalia's being impossible again. And I tried to persuade my dad to let the whole marriage thing go…and now he's mad at me too. Sometimes, I feel like I can't do anything right."

Percy nodded knowledgeably. "I hear you. Of course, that's a normal feeling for us commoners. Who knew a prince could too?" Percy teased. Jason fake punched him in the shoulder.

"PERCY!" Annabeth yelled as she walked into the room.

"Yes? What did I do wrong?" Percy said cautiously.

Annabeth put her hands on her hips. "Do you just assume you did something wrong?" Percy shrugged. "Good. Because you did! Everybody knows that you don't wax the railings on the staircase! You polish them!"

"Oh…uh, I guess I wasn't thinking…" Percy said nervously.

"Obviously not! Gods, sometimes you are _such_ a seaweed brain!" Annabeth ranted as she left again.

Percy looked at Jason apologetically. "Sorry man. I gotta go. See you later," He said as he ran off after Annabeth.

Jason stared out into the city again. Percy and Annabeth had a great relationship. It wasn't perfect, but it was at the same time.

Absentmindedly, Jason wondered if he would ever have something like that. Love. As a prince, he couldn't count on it though. King Jupiter had already told him that it was likely Jason would marry Princess Reyna.

Not that Jason had a problem with Reyna, she was a great girl and all, but she was just…too much like himself. Jason could barely keep himself under control, let alone Reyna. If they were to rule together, it might be good for a while, but then Jason had a feeling things would get out of hand.

Sighing, Jason resigned from the window and sat at his desk. He still had that dedication speech to write for Thalia's birthday festival, so he started to work on that.

Jason worked on it until late afternoon, when Percy came in to fetch him for dinner. Well, that's what Jason thought anyways, until he seen the state Percy was in.

"Your sister, Thalia! She's gone! Annabeth can't find her!" Percy told Jason frantically before running out once more.

Jason ran off to the balcony, to look into the stables. Sure enough, Thalia's horse was gone. She had run away.

Not knowing whether to be angry at Thalia or Jupiter, Jason ran down the stairs and out the kitchen door, to get to the stables. Once he was there, Jason jumped on his horse, Tempest, bareback and ran towards the gates into the city.

Jason maneuvered Tempest through the throng of city people and merchants, trying to think of where Thalia would've gone. Jason could spend weeks searching and still never find her. He hoped that Jupiter wouldn't send guards after her, that would just make her more angry. If Jason found her, then maybe she would come back.

He turned down another crowded road, which was apparently the farmer's market by all the food. Even though it appeared that they were closing down for the day, just the sight of the fruits and vegetables reminded Jason that he was probably missing dinner.

Jason stared at the nearest cart, which contained fresh apples. Jason jumped off Tempest and sorted through them, searching for a good one. He picked up the best one he could find. Suddenly, a dirty little girl in a ragged dress walked by crying.

"S-so hun-hungry…" She mumbled repeatedly. Jason, suddenly disgusted that his father would let something like this happen in his kingdom, walked to the girl.

Jason leaned down to her height. "Hey, take this." He handed her the apple. The girl looked at him with wide eyes, then surprisingly, she hugged him and ran off. Jason smiled. It made him feel good to make someone so happy.

"Why, you dirty little thief!" The merchant yelled.

At first, Jason had no idea what he was talking about. Then he realized what he had just done. "I'm so sorry sir. Here, I'll pay for that," Jason apologized.

The merchant looked at him expectantly with his hand open. Jason reached into his pockets and panicked. Nothing. Not a single coin.

Jason smiled weakly. "Um, it seems that I left my money at the palace. Can I have my father pay you back twice as much?"

"And who do you think your father is?" The merchant taunted, getting angrier by the minute.

"King Jupiter." Jason stated firmly.

The merchant laughed unbelievably. "Oh, you're going to get it now! Thievery and lies! You have five seconds to pay me, or I'm calling the guards!" He threatened.

Swiftly, a girl with choppy hair swung down from a rafter and landed between Jason and the merchant. She turned around, and Jason was instantly enchanted. In all, she was beautiful. Chocolate brown hair that was randomly braided, high cheekbones, and kaleidoscopic eyes.

Once he was out of shock, she gave him a look that said, _I got this_.

"Oh kind merchant, please find it in your heart to let this man go. It is not right to torment amnesiac commoners who believe their father is the King. After all, he was just helping that girl. Be the kind man I know you are sir," The girl pleaded.

Unbelievably, the man's face softened. "Alright, I suppose. But just this time." The merchant went back to packing up his stand.

The girl frantically pushed Jason towards Tempest. "Go! Go, before he comes back to normal!" She ushered.

"Come with me. I won't leave you here!" Jason answered, holding out his hand to her.

She looked back at the merchant nervously. Jason noticed he was starting to look normal again, trying to remember what just occurred.

"Oh, alright!" She said, taking Jason's hand. He pulled her behind him. "Let's go! Hurry!"

Jason kicked Tempest and they ran through the streets, the girl giving out occasional directions on where to go. Finally, she told him to stop near an old abandoned building on the outskirts of town.

The girl jumped off Tempest. "Thanks. Do you want to come in? Everybody's out tonight, so it's just me."

"Uh, okay. It there somewhere I can tie up Tempest?" Jason asked.

The girl pointed to an old wooden pole. "Will this work?" Jason nodded, and went to tie Tempest to it.

"We haven't been properly introduced," Piper said as she let him through the cloth door, "I'm Piper."

Jason observed the messy room, littered with random dirty blankets and possessions. "Jason." He answered.

Piper continued up a nearby staircase, and Jason followed. "This is where the older ones sleep. We take care of the little ones that stay downstairs." Piper explained as she showed him the shabby broken middle floor. He could see three cloth doors each on different walls.

"How many are there?" He asked.

Piper stopped and looked at him. "About twenty little ones, and five of us. It's a lot of responsibility, but we manage. We each have our own story. Mostly all of us are here because our parents got killed by the castle guards. Come, my room is on the third floor."

Jason followed her taking one last look at the makeshift living room. Jason couldn't believe how selfish he had been earlier that day. There he was, living in a palace, a freaking palace, and Piper was living with twenty plus people in a shabby broken down building.

"How did you get here?" Jason blurted. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want." he apologized.

Piper smiled sadly. "It's alright. Actually, I don't really know. I've been here for as long as I can remember."

Piper jumped over a broken step and looked back to check that Jason would too. Jason followed her lead and jumped. After a few more steps they arrived at a small crumbling room that had two other cloth doorways side by side. Piper chose the left one, and motioned for Jason to go first.

What Jason expected, he wasn't' sure, but it wasn't this. Her room was painted with random murals on the walls, with a long wooden box with a few ragged blankets that served as a bed.

"Here's home," Piper gestured to the room.

Jason's eyes drifted to the picture above her bed. The picture had a many different pictures inside of it, with a girl hanging on to a cliff with one hand while in the other she held a hammer, and several others. The most prominent picture however, had a very familiar face on it.

"Is that me?" Jason blurted out.

Piper blushed and studied the mural as well. "It could be, I guess. Or just another random face. Do you want to see the best thing about this place?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Sure," Jason answered. Piper went to grab his hand, but then blushed and decided against it. She walked to the large broken piece of wall that must've served as a window.

"Look! Perfect view of the palace. Can you imagine what it must be like to live there?"

Jason was slightly taken aback. "Um, yeah I can. Must be great." He said emotionlessly. He was suddenly reminded of the reason he had left the palace in the first place. He was supposed to be looking for Thalia!

"Is something wrong?" Piper gave him with a concerned look.

"It's just, I have to go. Nothing personal." Jason said hurriedly.

Piper looked crestfallen. "Okay, I understand. Farewell, Jason."

Jason gave her one last smile and went down the two sets of stairs and untied Tempest. Jason jumped on him and gave the abandoned building one final look, only to see Piper leaning out of her window, apparently dreaming of castle life.

* * *

**So, there's Chapter 2! Thanks, as always and forever for reviews!**


	3. Piper's Greatest Desire

Octavian studied the blood soaked intestines of the dead animal. He waved his hand over them, and they swirled together and disappeared, leaving a clear image behind.

The picture showed a girl with choppy chocolate-brown hair and kaleidoscopic eyes. She was on top of a rafter hanging on a building, apparently watching something intently and waiting for her chance to interfere.

"This _girl_ is the one?" Octavian said disgustedly, "Guards!"

A group of castle guards appeared at the door to Octavian's office in the palace. "Yes, Sir?"

"Look at this image," Octavian pointed and the guards hovered over it, "I want this girl in the dungeon by tomorrow night! Do you understand?"

* * *

Piper woke up to the sound of people bustling about around the building. _The children must be back from the camping trip_, Piper thought.

She got up and made herself as presentable as possible, throwing on her best ragged dress for some reason. She didn't know why she was going through so much trouble today. _Maybe Jason will like me more if I look better_, She thought.

"Shut-up Piper. He's just a man. A very handsome man, but still…" Piper said out loud to herself.

Will peeked in through the door. "Did you say something?"

Piper blushed. "No! I mean yes! But not to you. Just talking to myself."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Ohhkay then. Well, we are home if you haven't noticed. Do you want to go with me today? It's my turn to get food." He said hopefully.

"Um, thanks, but no thanks. I have some things I want to do today." Piper told him. She started down the stairs, and Will went with her.

When they got to the front door Piper noticed that Will looked slightly upset at her answer. Piper had long had the suspicion that Will had a crush on her. "Okay. See you later?"

"Later," Piper confirmed. Will left the building, and Piper followed behind. They went their separate ways, Will to the food market and Piper to the luxury street.

Piper honestly didn't know why she always went to this street. The only things it contained were items that Piper would never be able to afford. Piper walked past the fancy shops with clothes, shoes, furniture, and jewelry.

She arrived upon her favorite spot in the whole city, which was in front of a jewelry shop. In the window lay a beautiful silver and gold-laced necklace chain, with a simple charm at the end. The charm was kaleidoscopic, Piper could never decipher what color it was. The sign above the necklace advertised that the charm could have a personal engraving on the back. This necklace was Piper's greatest desire.

"This is the last place I thought I'd see you," A man's voice said.

Piper spun around to see Jason standing behind her with his horse's reins in his hand. "You're very observant of my lack of money, aren't you Sparky?" Piper shot back, slightly annoyed.

"Sparky?"

"Yeah, you were drooling like a dog last night at all that food. Sparky is a dog name, so hence, you are now Sparky." Piper stated, not taking her eyes off the necklace.

Jason looked at the window as well. "So, what are you looking at?"

"Only the most beautiful thing in that case. Can't you see it? I dream of that necklace!" Piper said enthusiastically, forgetting about her earlier irritation.

Jason stared at the necklace. "It is beautiful. Especially on you, it would match your eyes perfectly." Jason looked at Piper.

Piper turned away from the case and walked further down the street. "Yeah, well, it's no use dreaming. I won't ever have the kind of money to buy that."

Jason walked beside her. "I could buy it for you."

Piper laughed. "With what? The money your father the "King" gives you?"

"Piper, I wasn't kidding about that."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Sure. And my mother is a goddess."

Jason shook his head, and they continued on the street silently until they ended at a dead-end. Piper turned to Jason.

"So I guess this is goodbye?" Piper asked.

"Only if you want it to be." Jason replied.

Piper opened her mouth to speak, but then something caught her out of the corner of her eye. The palace guards were running towards them. In a hopeful panic, she looked around for someone else they could possibly be after, but they were the only ones at the end of the street.

"Jason! So, if you may or may not have noticed, we have a little bit of a situation here," Piper scanned her surroundings and seen a ladder leaning against the side of a nearby shop. Perfect.

"I know what you're thinking, and it's absolutely crazy, but I trust you Piper." Jason said, looking her in the eye.

Piper smiled. "Good. Now run!"

Jason let go of Tempest and smacked him on the side, causing him to go barreling straight towards the guards. Then Piper and Jason took off towards the ladder.

"You go first Piper, it's me they're after!" Jason yelled.

Piper was confused by that, but she went up first anyway with Jason close behind. They sprinted across the rooftop, and jumped to the next, until they were at the last building.

Jason looked at her. "How much do you trust me?"

"That depends-" Piper tried answering, but before she could finish Jason grabbed her and jumped into the haystack below.

Jason pulled her up. "Are you okay?"

"No time." Piper said as she took off running again onto a different street. They ran through the people together, occasionally looking back at the palace guards. This however, proved as a useless tactic, because they both smacked into guards who had come from the sides and stood in front of them.

"Got you now girl!" One guard said as he tied her hands and feet together, while the other was getting Jason.

Jason smacked the guard with his head, making the guard back away for a moment. "Stop. Let her go! She has done nothing wrong."

The guard sized him up. "Oh really? And who do you think you are, ordering us around?"

Piper watched from the ground as Jason stood up with authority. "I am Prince Jason, son of King Jupiter. Do you not recognize me?"

Both guards looked taken aback, as if they had just now connected the dots on why he looked familiar.

"I'm so sorry prince, but you'll have to take it up at the castle. We have strict orders to imprison her at the castle dungeon." Guards came from behind Jason and held him back, while the ones holding Piper down threw her on the back of a horse and took off towards the palace.

Piper heard a frantic whistle, probably Jason trying to get Tempest's attention. Piper closed her eyes, not understanding everything that had just occurred.

Jason hadn't been kidding that his father was the king after all. Why did he think then that the guards were after him? She supposed she had been on the guards hit-list for all the food stealing over the years.

After many long minutes, Piper heard the sound of yelling and a creaky gate being rose. She hesitantly opened her eyes and seen a busy courtyard with castle people bustling all about. She searched for a familiar face. Anything for support.

They passed a curly blonde haired girl and a black-haired man talking intently. Piper nearly had a heart attack. Percy and Annabeth! Piper screamed as best as she could with a cloth through her mouth, but immediately regretted it. She could get them in trouble for knowing her and not reporting her!

Annabeth turned around and saw Piper. Her grey eyes widened, and she hit Percy who turned around as well. Piper frantically shook her head, hoping they didn't acknowledge her in any way.

Thankfully, Annabeth understood and drug Percy away quickly, before he did something stupid.

Piper sighed in relief. The guard looked back at her, and she closed her eyes. They entered into darkness suddenly, and Piper knew that they were at the beginning of the dungeon.

They stopped and pulled Piper off the horse. She looked around wildly, gaining consciousness of her surroundings. Large menacing brick walls enclosed them in, and dark corridors with stairs that led to downstairs cells.

A guard roughly pulled her through the corridor on the far right. He pushed her down the stairs, cut her bonds, and shoved her into the first cell.

Piper let out a cry as a sharp rock cut the palm of her hand. The guard laughed cruelly as he locked the cell door and left. Piper held the hem of her dress against her hand, trying to stop the blood flow.

Finally it stopped. Piper stared around the dimly lit cell, wondering if there was any possible way out. _Probably not_, she thought pessimistically.

Piper dragged herself to the rusty bars, and looked up the staircase hopelessly.

Jason lived here. He hadn't wanted her to be arrested. Surely he could do something to save her, couldn't he?

It was just her luck, to have Jason end up being an unattainable prince. He was so perfect. A prince. And a handsome one at that.

Piper couldn't believe she hadn't noticed something. He had shared the same name as the prince, he looked similar to the pictures she had seen of the prince, he was in semi-fancy clothes…Piper couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed.

Piper liked him a lot. Of course, that didn't matter now. She was just a commoner, after all. Jason would end up with another royal eventually.

But looking up the dim stairs, Piper could imagine that she was a princess, worthy enough to be the lucky bride of Prince Jason.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews! Just a note ahead, I might not be able to update as often in the coming weeks, since speech season is starting. Thanks for the support and everything!**


	4. Prince Optimist

Jason slammed the door on his way into his father's study.

"Father! I _demand_ that you let that girl go! She has done nothing wrong! If you knew what she does in a day, you would understand! Release her!" Jason yelled at his father.

King Jupiter dropped his pencil, and turned to face Jason. "What, in Hades are you talking about Jason?" Jupiter said in an angry voice.

Jason paid no attention to Jupiter's growing anger. "The girl you sent to be captured and thrown in the castle dungeon! I want her removed and sent back into the city!"

"Jason. You will not speak to me in that tone! Go to your room and make sense of your words! Then you can return and speak reason." King Jupiter said in a firm and demanding voice.

Jason glared at his father. "Do you even care what we have to say? You already lost Thalia. And I'm about to follow her lead, if it wasn't for Piper." Jason left the room, making sure to slam the door once again.

He had no intention of going to his room. Jason was heading straight to the dungeons, and nobody in Hades was going to stop him.

The prince arrived at the dark corridor that let to the different dungeon cells. Jason pulled his sword and held it to the nearest guard's neck. "Where do they keep the prisoner known as Piper?" he asked roughly.

The guard gasped, and pointed to the staircase at the far right. Jason put his sword back, and ran down the staircase.

"Piper!" He yelled, hoping to get her attention. Sure enough, he heard the movement of someone scrambling the bars.

"Jason?" Piper asked. Jason's anger immediately melted.

Jason followed her voice through the dimly lit room, running his fingers across the bars. She must have been in one of the first ones, because he soon felt her fingers intertwined on the bars.

"Jason! I was so worried," Piper told him. "All I could think was; what if they can't make it without me?"

Jason nearly laughed, despite the situation. Here Piper was, in a prison cell, and she was worried about getting food to the homeless kids. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. Tonight, okay? Wait for me, I'll even come with you, if you want."

Piper looked at him with her kaleidoscopic eyes that were teary, though she wasn't crying yet. "I couldn't ask you to do that. You have a life here, in the palace,"

Jason grasped her hand. "Piper, I've only known you for a day, but I need you in my life. I will find a way for us to be together, somehow. I promise."

Piper looked stunned, like she had never in her life expected Jason to tell her that. "I'll be here waiting for you tonight." Piper said.

"Goodbye, Piper. See you tonight." Jason let go of her hand, and went back up the dimly lit stairs. He looked back once more before leaving. Piper was leaned up against the bars, watching him with an unreadable expression due to the lack of light.

Jason headed up to his room finally. He had to somehow devise a plan to help her escape, and he knew the perfect person to help: his sister's maid, Annabeth.

* * *

Piper sat in her cell, wondering how Jason would save her. How close was it to night? It was so dark in there, it was hard to tell. So she just sat there, fantasizing about what could possibly happen once she was saved.

Piper knew right away that if it came down to her well-being and the kids, she would choose the kids. Piper would manage, even if it meant leaving Jason behind.

Suddenly, she heard a scratching noise. Piper jumped back, and leaned against her cell wall. Piper had been absolutely sure that she was the only one in this region of cells, so what could that have been?

Piper hoped it wasn't a rat, because she knew about their flesh-eating habits. The noise continued, seeming to get closer. Piper could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. A dark figure appeared at the front of her cell.

"What are you? What do you want?" Piper asked it timidly.

The dark figure removed its hood, but Piper still could not make out its facial features. "I am Octavian. What do I want? That's simple. You."

Piper glared at the figure named Octavian as best she could. "Sorry, I have plans tonight. Come back tomorrow?"

"No. I need you to attain something for me, something that I need." Octavian told her.

"And if I refuse?"

Octavian laughed amusingly. "Then I guess your precious Prince Jason and your little friends back home will have to say goodbye. _Forever_."

Piper almost lost her footing. "Fine. Fine, I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt them."

"Perfect." Octavian pulled out a key and unlocked Piper's cell. He grabbed her arm roughly, and tapped his wrist.

Instantly, Piper felt dizzy. She was swirling in a circle, watching as all her surroundings went by extremely fast, then changed to a rocky hill with a forest surrounding it. Piper thought she felt something wrapped around her foot, but when she looked there was nothing there. Piper toppled over on a rock and tried to regain her senses.

She looked at Octavian who was holding two pieces the must have connected. She watched as he connected the two, and became a blue eagle. The eagle soared into the rocky hill, making the hill shake violently. Piper backed up into a nearby bush, watching it with awe.

"Piper!" Something whispered.

Piper spun around so quickly, she was sure she had caught Octavian's attention. He, however, was mesmerized by the hill for now. "Jason! What are you _doing_ here?"

"Following you. I was going to save you! We had a plan and everything," Jason whispered back. The hill changed into the shape of an eagle head and stopped rumbling.

Octavian turned to look at Piper, so she couldn't answer back. "Go into there, and get me the object. I do not know what it is, but I assume it will be the most important," Piper stared at him blankly. "Go!" Octavian yelled at her.

Piper approached the eagle head, and she could hear Jason following through the bushes. She was midway on the first step when the cave rumbling again, making Piper fall.

"TAKE ONLY THE HAMMER. TOUCH NOTHING ELSE." The cave yelled in a demanding voice.

Hesitantly, Piper got up once more. She glanced back at Octavian, who was watching her intently. Figuring that there was no way out of this, Piper stepped into the beak. Nothing happened as she continued down the steps until she got to the fifth one. The cave began to suction in on her.

Panicking, Piper ran faster down. She heard a distant thump, but she thought nothing of it until she was at the bottom and the cave stopped suctioning. Looking up, Piper noticed that the cave had closed her in. Why?

"Hey, Piper." Jason said from behind her.

That answered her question. "Jason, do you realize that we are now stuck in here because of you?"

"As long as I'm with you," Jason answered as he walked along the dark corridor.

Piper laughed. "Thank you, Prince Optimist." Piper said sarcastically.

Jason stopped, and Piper sped by him. "I am royally hurt by that comment!" Jason said loudly, so that his voice echoed across the cave walls. Then he chased after Piper playfully, and they ran until Piper stopped so suddenly that Jason ran into her.

"Ow."

"No, Jason. Look!" Piper pointed to the room they had arrived to. It was covered in solid gold and silver objects, piled up on each other so high that they touched the ceiling. In the middle was a small path that lead to a bronze outlined doorway.

Jason snorted in disgust. "I am so _sick_ of gold." Jason then grabbed Piper's hand and dragged her down the aisle.

Piper pulled away. "Well maybe some of us aren't as associated with it as you are," Piper stared at all the coins, teapots, and crowns as they walked by. Piper stopped at a particularly beautiful crown.

"Jason, what does your crown look like?"

Jason didn't answer, so Piper looked over to check on him. Jason was looking upward at something silver in bewilderment, and it was sprinkling white and blue dust all over him. The thing he was looking at fell back to the ground in the middle of the aisle.

Piper gasped. "Jason! You weren't supposed to touch anything!"

* * *

**Thank you for the past reviews, favorites, and follows! Disclaimer: I don't own anything you've seen before.**


	5. The Bronze Hammer

"I didn't touch anything, Piper! I swear on the Styx!" Jason replied in response to Piper.

Piper ran over to Jason. "Okay, fine. But what did it do? What was that dust for?"

Jason laid on his stomach on the ground and examined the metal object which Piper had identified as a ring. Piper laid down across from him, being careful not to touch it. "There's something written on it! What does it say?" Piper exclaimed.

"Um, something about the…power of an…eagle?"

Piper looked at Jason questionably. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't look at me! I don't know, what are the powers of an eagle?" Jason asked.

"Well, I suppose the only thing that really makes them special from other animals is the ability to fly." Piper said as she got up again.

Jason got up as well, and looked at Piper with his bright blue eyes. "Do you….do you think that's what it gave me?"

Piper laughed. "You think the ring gave you the power to fly?" Piper stopped laughing however, when she seen how serious Jason was being. "Okay, try it out then."

Jason studied the cave for a few minutes, then ran off towards a small ledge near the bronze doorway. He climbed onto it, and looked a Piper. "Ready?" Jason yelled.

"As ever," Piper yelled back as she approached him.

Jason took a deep breath, and leaped. Piper leaned forward on instinct, just so that she could save his fall. It turned out to be pointless, to Piper's amazement. All she could do was stare at Jason, who was hovering a foot off the ground.

"It worked!" Jason said excitedly to Piper.

Piper laughed. "It did! Wow, that's just so odd. I wonder why the ring decided to give you that gift?"

Jason shrugged, and came down to touch the ground. "I don't know, but it's pretty cool. Shall we?" Jason pointed the doorway which they were now standing in front of.

"I think that would be a good idea." Piper said, and walked through with Jason by her side.

This room was completely different from the past. It was coated in pure obsidian on the walls and floor. The room gave off a reddish-orange glow, which Piper discovered was caused by the liquid magma rushing above them. This room definitely had the most valuable relics in it. They looked like they had come from centuries ago, and would be worth tons. In the middle of the room on an obsidian pedestal was a floating upright bronze hammer.

Piper walked towards the pedestal in excitement. She approached the hammer and slowly reached her hand toward it. Right before she touched it however, she hesitated. Piper looked back at Jason, who gave her an encouraging nod. Again, she reached her hand out, but this time Piper actually picked it up.

"I got it!" Piper said victoriously. Piper turned and jogged over to Jason. Before Piper reached him though, she tripped. Jason reached out to catch her unfortunately, which caused him to back into a golden vase with intricate designs carved into it. Piper collapsed onto Jason.

Jason stared in horror at the now broken vase. "Oh Hades."

The cave began to rumble, and the magma from above began to drip down. Jason grabbed Piper, and they ran out of the obsidian room and back into the golden one.

"YOU HAVE BROKEN THE DEAL! NOW DIE WITHIN YOUR PRISON!" The cave screamed at them.

With that the golden room began to crack from the bottom, making the objects seep through them. The ceiling in this room as well began to break.

Jason grabbed Piper's hand. "I think the ring knew this was going to happen. Come on!"

Before Piper could react, Jason grabbed her by the waist and they rose into the air. Jason dodged the large falling rocks, and some of the smaller pieces occasionally hit them. Piper could feel the blood gushing down her cheek from the last one. They flew through the crumbling corridor, and nearly crashed into the staircase.

"What now?" Piper said hysterically.

Jason looked up. "The cave. It's opening for some reason."

Indeed, it was. Jason flew them up to it as quick as he could. "Go Piper! I'll come after you!"

The cave shook, and Jason lost his control, causing them both to hang on to the ledge. Octavian appeared at the entrance, and pulled Jason up.

"Piper!" Jason yelled, but Octavian had gotten reinforcements in their absence and they held Jason back from the cliff.

Octavian leaned over the cliff. "Come on girl! Give me the hammer!"

"Piper, don't do it!" Jason yelled. The men covered his mouth and threw him to the ground.

Octavian leaned forward and reached out his hand. "Come _on_! Throw it!"

Piper shut her eyes as the rocks from the ceiling began to crash down. This was the vision she had seen from her dagger, her death. If she was going to die, she was going to with attitude.

Piper looked Octavian in his power-hungry eyes. "Not a chance." Then she let go and the cave finally collapsed. The last thing she saw was Jason's pleading face being pushed to the ground.

* * *

Piper woke up in a large dark room. Piper felt the cuts on her face, and found they were dry. She must have been out for quite a while. She sat for a few minutes, trying to assess why she was here. Then, she saw the bronze hammer, and it all came back.

"Am I dead?" She asked out loud, her voice echoing against the walls.

Nothing answered except for the silence, so Piper decided to get the hammer. She walked to it, and picked it up.

"What is so special about a stupid hammer?" She asked herself, "How is this supposed to give Octavian power?"

Piper sat down and stared at the glowing hammer, trying to find something special about it. There wasn't anything. No words, pictures, nothing. What was she supposed to do now?

She pulled out Katoptris as a last resort, and gazed into the blade. The blade didn't shimmer and change, like she was expecting. It was like it was being difficult on purpose. Piper began to tap the hammer impatiently.

Unexpectedly, the hammer grew extremely got in her hands, causing Piper to throw it down. "Ow! What was that for?" She yelled at the hammer.

"Sorry, got a little excited."

Piper screamed. What she saw was completely unbelievable. It was a scrawny man with crazy eyes that made Piper wonder if he was going to do something. "Where did you come from!?" Piper exclaimed.

"The hammer of course! You let me out didn't you?" The crazy man asked.

Piper shook her head. "I just thought it was a stupid hammer."

"Well never fear now! The amazing Leo is here to your assistance!" The man known as Leo said while digging into a large tool belt that he had attached to his waist.

"Um, what exactly is your purpose?" Piper asked, inching away to the wall.

Leo smiled insanely and pulled a bunch of metal objects from his belt. "I can make anything! Any wild dreams? I can make them happen!"

"So you build things," Piper said with no enthusiasm.

Leo looked at her offended. "No no no. I don't just build _things_. I build amazing life changing things! I am just that awesome."

Piper stared at him skeptically. "You make anything, with absolutely no strings attached, and everything will work out perfect?"

"Um, well, not exactly. I can make you three major things, nothing more. Each will change your life in some way. Why did you have to ruin my groove?" Leo complained.

Piper stood up. "Well if you aren't going to be any help, I'll just be leaving."

"Whoah!" Leo ran in front of her. "Are you questioning my awesomeness?"

Piper crossed her arms. "Maybe."

"Watch this!" Leo took his metal objects and began to quickly construct something with it. In a matter of seconds, Leo had made a metal dove.

Piper stared at him, unimpressed. "And what is the purpose of that, may I ask?"

"The purpose? The _purpose_?" Leo gasped. He pressed the dove's wings, and it fluttered off around the cave.

Piper tapped her feet. Then she thought of a plan, one that would go around the Leo's rules. "Well if you're not going to make anything useful, I'll just be going."

"No! I always make things useful! Do not question my awesomeness!" Leo yelled as he held Piper back. "Watch this."

Piper watched as Leo dug into his tool belt, pulling out random objects and putting them into a pile. Leo suddenly laughed and held out his hand to Piper. "Mint?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "I'm waiting," she said in an impatient voice.

Leo went to work. It was almost amazing, the way he worked so quickly and efficiently with the pieces. After five minutes, Leo held up an intricate metal blanket. "Ha! Score for Team Leo!"

"Um, what is it?"

Leo fake gasped. "What is it?_ What is it_? It's a flying carpet of course!"

Piper raised her eyebrows and poked the carpet. "Then why isn't it flying?"

"Because, you haven't told it to!" Leo said, as if that should be obvious. He laid the carpet on the ground and sat on it. "Come sit on the carpet of coolness and let's get going!"

Piper put her toe on it hesitantly. "And you're sure it's safe?"

"More or less!" Leo pulled Piper down. "You'll be okay anyways, Beauty Queen. Now, FLY!

"Hey, I'm not a Beauty Que-" Piper protested, but before she could finish, she started screaming and clutched Leo. The metal carpet had lifted off the ground, and was barreling straight towards the ceiling.

* * *

**Thank you for reviews! I'm working hard to get chapters done so that I can update as usual, so the support is great! Don't worry if I do miss a day updating though, I haven't given up!**


	6. In Jason's Closet

"Do something!" Piper screamed as she smacked Leo.

"Oh! Right." Leo searched around them and grabbed the bronze hammer. He threw it at the ceiling, causing it to crack and fall all around them. Leo winced and began to rub his head.

"What's wrong?" Piper yelled.

"That hammer is me! Whatever happens to it, happens to me! It's my home!" Leo yelled back.

Piper clung to Leo's back in terror. The carpet flew out the new hole, and into the night, revealing the thick forest. The carpet zoomed on for a mile or so, and just as Piper was beginning to relax, it started to make odd noises.

"What's that?"

Leo leaned over the carpet and looked at the bottom. Then he got back up and looked at Piper. "So, there may be a few…malfunctions. Meaning we will be landing shortly."

As if in response to Leo, the carpet started turning and twisting in different directions, making them go over a dark lake and slam into a small sandy island with a few sparse trees. Piper jumped up.

"Perfect. Just perfect. I'm on an island with a crazy builder guy, stranded, and it's my shift to get food tomorrow!" Piper ranted. She sat down on a fallen log and stared at the beginning sunrise.

Leo sat down beside her. "I'm not that crazy…I think. At least we're out of that wretched cave! And I am out of this stupid hammer!" Leo held up the hammer and put it into his tool belt. "So, about those two remaining wishes…."

Piper turned to face Leo. "Excuse me? I'm pretty sure I have three, not two."

"Um, no. You wanted out of the cave, I made something to get you out of the cave. Two left!" Leo argued as he fiddled with the bark on the tree.

"I didn't ask you to get me out of the cave, you wanted to prove yourself 'awesome'" Piper said using finger quotes.

Leo stood up. "What? Leo does not get tricked into doing things! This is so not cool, man."

Piper stood up next to Leo. "Well, you did. And I still have three wishes! Seems like the joke's on you, Joker Boy!"

Leo held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. But no more freebies. So what _do_ you want for your first wish?"

Piper sat back down and thought. Almost immediately, she knew. "I want no more poverty in the city. Can you fix that?" Piper asked Leo.

"Well, I guess. I can build a grand building that can house everyone. Oh! I know. I can do so much with this! Good choice, um…what's your name?"

Piper took out her dagger and looked into it again. "Piper." Surprisingly, the dagger shimmered. Jason was in a pure golden room talking secretively with a girl with spiky black hair and the same eyes as Jason. _That must be his sister, Princess Thalia, _Piper thought.

"Uh, Piper! Are you dead?" Leo asked, waving his hands in-between Piper and her dagger.

"No, I'm not!" Piper said, annoyed. "I was looking into my dagger. Sometimes it shows me things that I need to know!"

Leo looked down. "Oh. Sorry. But I did see a man in that picture. Is that a special someone?"

Piper rolled her eyes. Back to the old Leo. "No, he's not a special someone. He's a prince, and I'm a commoner. Never going to happen." Piper said glumly.

Leo looked around awkwardly and messed with his shirt. "Okay…"

"Hey, could you do something with that for my second wish?" Piper asked, jumping up again. "So Jason and I could be together?"

Leo looked really awkward now. "Well, you see, even before I was a prisoner in this hammer, I had really bad luck with love. So, consequently, no love. I can't do it. Sorry…" Leo looked at her apologetically.

"That's okay. Just wild dreams." The sun was nearly up. Piper stared into the dawn, lost in thought. Leo sat in the sand and started to construct random things.

Jason had followed her to the cave, just to make sure she was alright. Did that mean he cared about her? And, yesterday when she had been in the prison cell, he had told her that he needed her in his life. Plus, he had promised that he would find a way for them to be together. That had to mean something, right?

"I got it!" Leo exclaimed, causing Piper to jump out of her thoughts.

"What?"

Leo stood up to face her. "So you said that you couldn't be with this dude-"

"Jason." Piper interrupted.

Leo put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. No need to get defensive. So this Jason dude. Can't be with him cause you're a commoner right?" Piper nodded. "So, what if we make you an awesome Leo-fied Princess Piper?"

"Should I be scared?"

Leo laughed. "Yes. Yes you should." Leo pulled a tape measure out of his tool belt and began to measure Piper. "Okay…okay…got it!"

Piper gave him a confused look. "Got what?"

"The perfect measurements for your gown and…transportation! We need that…hmmm…Yes! This is the Best. Wish. Ever!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Jason was laying on his bed in a very frustrated mood. Piper was locked in a cave, and he was locked in his room. Who had less of a chance of getting out? Piper of course, and Jason couldn't do a _thing_ about it! He wasn't used to this feeling, the feeling of pure helplessness.

Back at the cave, when Piper had been hanging on to the cliff, Jason would've given anything to save her. He still would. If only those stupid guards hadn't knocked him out with his own sward.

Jason jumped up from his golden bed and grabbed his sword, looking for something to attack. He flung his closet open and reached for something, anything. Instead, something very humanlike flung out at him.

"Jason! Put down the sword! It's Thalia, your sister!" A shield with a hideous face came flying out at him as well.

Jason backed up and dropped his sword. He then looked at the person behind the shield. "Thalia! What are you doing here?"

Thalia dropped her shield and grabbed Jason by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You didn't think I'd leave you here all alone to suffer, did you?"

"I guess not. Where have you been? I looked all over the city for you!" Jason said.

Thalia walked to the golden bed and gripped the pole. "Well, everywhere really. But there was a place that caught my eye…especially since I seen my little brother hanging out with his new girlfriend." Jason blushed. Thalia continued, "Jason, do we have to have a talk?"

"No! No no, Thalia. And she's not my girlfriend!" Jason protested. Immediately after he said that his stomach dropped. He was reminded of Piper's current situation.

Thalia raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Whatever you say, little brother. Anyways, the next morning I went into that building to investigate. This girl named Katie told me that her and four others took care of over twenty orphan children! How does father just stand by and let this happen?"

Jason sat on the bed and put his face in his hands. "I know, Thalia. Piper, that girl you seen me with, told me. And it disgusts me. It really does. But I have something to tell you as well."

"What?" Thalia sat beside him on his golden bed.

Jason lifted his head. "You know Dad's advisor, Octavian?" Thalia nodded her head in disgust. "Well he's trying to take father's right as King away. To do that, he sent Piper into this odd bird cave to get some magical hammer. But before she could hand it over to Octavian, the cave…it-it collapsed on her." Jason gasped.

Thalia reached her arm around him. "You really care about her, don't you? Well, I bet she's still alive. You'll see her again. People like that have fate on their side. In the meantime, let's just keep an eye on Octavian, okay?"

"Are you going to tell Father that you're back?" Jason asked as he got up to get his sword.

Thalia followed him and picked up her shield. "I suppose." she sighed. "Don't want the whole city to be burned in search of me."

"Royal life sucks." Jason stated.

"I agree with you there." Thalia said as they walked towards the golden door.

Jason turned the door handle. "Problem. We're locked in here and the balcony is closed off."

Thalia smirked. "Little brother, I believe you still have some tricks to learn from the castle sorceress."

Before Jason could barely comprehend what she said, Thalia yelled and a blinding white thunderbolt came and smacked into the golden door, completely unhinging it from the doorframe.

"Nice." Jason complemented in shock.

Thalia shrugged as she stepped over the golden debris. "I have my moments."

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_ I do not own HOO or Aladdin, obviously.**

**Thanks for all reviews!**


	7. Leo's Story

"You. Are. Crazy."

Leo laughed like a maniac. "Actually, I'm Leo. And if you're seeing imaginary people named Crazy, then I'm also Dr. Leo."

"Haha, very funny." Piper said sarcastically. She looked at the great bronze dragon that Leo had built for transportation to the city. The dragon came to life and breathed fire as Leo touched it. Piper jumped back. "There is no way in _Hades_ that I am getting on that!"

Leo jumped on the dragon's back and adjusted his tool belt. "Come on Beauty Queen! Do you want Lover Boy or what?"

Piper hesitantly went near the dragon, and poked it with her foot. "A. I'm not Beauty Queen. And B. Are you sure this is completely one-hundred percent safe?"

"More or less. Now pick up your fancy dress and get over here!"

Piper did as Leo said, not wanting to cause any more trouble. She straightened out the purple silk dress that Leo had gotten from who-knows-where, and glanced at her reflection in her dagger. She was completely beautiful. Perfect make-up, hair, complexion. "Uh, I am so not used to this," She complained.

Leo looked back and yelled to his invisible crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most awesome dragon in the world! Now on Festus, let's go see us some royalty!"

"You named a metal dragon Fes-" Piper half said before she stopped in mid-scream as the dragon lifted off the sandy ground and into the cloudy sky.

Higher and higher they rose, and Piper closed her eyes and clutched the back of Leo's coat for support. "Relax, Pipes," Leo said.

"Don't call me Pipes." Piper responded, not relaxing at all. They went in a surprising silence for a few precious minutes.

Piper felt Leo turn around. Silence ruined. "Want to see something cool?"

"No. I don't want to see anything!" Piper said, cracking her eyes open just a little bit.

"Okay." Leo said, completely ignoring Piper's answer. He let go of Festus. "Look Ma, no hands!"

Piper gasped and smacked Leo across the head, forgetting about closing her eyes. "Leo! Do not do that again!"

Leo grabbed Festus's neck again. Now that Piper's eyes were open, she could see her surroundings. They were high above a grand forest, just hovering beneath the thick dark clouds. Piper could feel the moisture in the air, and she felt her hair subconsciously. Sure enough, it was lightly wet.

"How close are we to the city?" Piper asked. Now that she was aware of her surroundings, she was slightly relaxed. Which was odd, considering the darkness above them.

"Um, a few miles or so I think. I'm pretty sure I can see it!" Leo yelled.

Piper looked up at the menacing clouds. "And how durable would this piece of metal be in a thunderstorm?"

"Why do you ask-" The thunder rumbled loudly, the sound amplified by their nearness to it. "Okay then. I think our arrival to the ground should be shortly. I'm too young to die!" Leo yelled through the growing wind.

Festus creaked as Leo guided him towards a clearing in the forest. The thunder rumbled again, and this time Piper heard lightning crack. Festus gained acceleration at the downward movement, and the group crashed into the clearing.

Piper fell into a dirt patch, making her dress have a brownish tinge. She dusted herself off and searched for Leo and the dragon. Leo was kneeling by the dragon's head, apparently soothing it like she would to a scared child back home.

"Is everything alright?" she asked as she walked over to him.

Leo looked up. "Yeah, Festus is just a little scared. I don't think we'll be flying again today, with what the storm and everything." As if in response, the sky rumbled and little raindrops began to fall.

"Lovely. It's raining. There goes your outfit!" Leo told Piper. She rolled her eyes. "Come on Festus, let's get out of the rain."

Festus creakily got up and strutted next to Leo like a dog. The three of them took cover underneath the branches of the thick trees in the forest. Festus curled up against several trees and went to sleep. Piper and Leo went and leaned on Festus for warmth.

The forest gradually got darker as the night neared. Both of them sat in silence, thinking. Piper listened to the rain gently falling on the trees, and running down to make random puddles.

Leo looked at Piper. "So…what about that third wish?"

"I don't know…I really don't. What would you wish for?" Piper asked in return.

"That's easy. I want to be free from being everyone's servant. It's always: make this, make that. Do I ever get a thank you? No." Leo ranted.

Piper leaned forward. "How exactly would you make yourself free?"

"That's a long story," Leo said. He fiddled with a stick on the ground.

"We have all night. We can't leave till morning anyhow," Piper persisted.

"Okay, fine. So it was a hundreds of years ago, before I was a prisoner to this hammer," Leo pulled out the hammer and continued, "I was on the run from my most recent home-"

"Why did you run away? And what's recent home mean?"

Leo face-palmed. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. I lived alone with my mother for many years at a small workshop. Nobody came there because no one trusted a woman blacksmith, so we were very poor. Anyways, I was born with this weird ability to summon fire at my will. I-I didn't mean to, but I let myself get out of control, and burned the place down…with my mother still inside." A single tear went down Leo's cheek and he looked away.

Piper was speechless. She knew that any consoling would be worthless, so she waited for Leo to continue.

"So from that point on, random people took me in. But it never felt right, so I always ended up leaving. I met this girl, named Hazel, on my last run. She was distressed, ranting on about how I was supposed to be dead. Sammy, she called me. After a while, she calmed down and realized that I wasn't who she thought I was. We remained friends for a long time, and I thought maybe that this was my chance at love! It wasn't, turned out. Hazel met a guy named Frank, and they got married. I was so upset after she told me the news, I nearly burned the whole city. And with most of the city, I took Frank. Hazel's Frank. She was angry, I could tell. But what surprised me the most was when she gave me a gold nugget as a gift. Later did I find out, it was cursed," Leo said, still focusing on anything other than Piper.

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Piper thought over everything Leo had just told her. _Love is powerful_, she decided mentally.

Leo went on, "It carried a curse that bonded me to my hammer, making me grant three things to every person who tapped it, with exceptions like no love or fire. I was desperate to find a way to be free. Whenever I was released, I searched for her in my free time. Eventually, I found Hazel again, on her deathbed. She was regretful, and she apologized again and again for the curse. Hazel said that she had let her emotions control her, and I could relate. Her last words before I watched the woman I loved die told me the way to be free once again. Someone must wish for me to have my fire powers back, so that I can melt the hammer myself. Nothing but my fire works." Leo sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I pressed you too much. You didn't have to tell me all that." Piper apologized, looking at Leo with sympathy.

Leo remained in his previous position. "It's okay. I guess, sometimes telling someone something helps you feel better. It's like the weight is lifted off my chest." Leo curled up and went to sleep, signifying the end of the conversation.

Piper followed his lead and tried to get some sleep as well. Problem was, thoughts of Leo's story kept roaming her mind. Underneath that person full of jokes was one that had a lot of sad history. Maybe it was just his way of dealing with it. Suddenly, she had an idea for her third wish, she just wanted to keep it a surprise.

She smoothed out her purple dress and put her head on her arms, finally feeling tired. Piper had a big day tomorrow, and she needed her beauty sleep. Leo was going to freak at the fact that he would have to fix her dress before they left.

Piper smiled, then she succumbed to sleep, listening to the sound of the rain falling onto the trees.

* * *

**So...not much happened in this chapter, but it was necessary. I'm serious.**

** Thanks for favorites, follows and reviews!**


	8. A Bag Of Gold

"So, explain to me again why we are here?" Thalia asked as they walked down the busy cobblestone street.

Jason shook the bag of gold. "I'm going to buy something for Piper."

Thalia rolled her eyes as she dodged a very large man. "Oh, right. For your girlfriend. What is this item exactly?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Jason told Thalia. He searched among the various shops for the familiar one that contained the necklace. Seeing it next to a dress shop, he pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the window.

"Hello? Are you going to answer my question?" Thalia said, waving her hand in between Jason and the glass case.

Jason pointed to the silver and gold laced chain with the kaleidoscopic charm. "This, is what I am going to buy."

Thalia whistled. "Wow. That's one pretty thing, but what makes you think Piper will like it?"

"She told me so," Jason said as he walked into the door. The bell chimed. The shop was covered in purple everywhere. The walls were purple, the floor, and all of the jewelry cases as well. Jewels of all sorts gleamed alongside various chains. The shop smelled like wood varnish.

"Hello, my name is Hazel. How may I help you?" The shopkeeper, Hazel asked. She had curly cinnamon brown hair with gold eyes.

Jason approached the purple counter. "Um, I was wondering about that necklace you have on display in the window. I would like to buy it."

Hazel opened up the counter door and walked over to the window. She picked up the delicate necklace case and walked back behind the counter again, laying the case on it. "Is this the one?"

Jason stared at the necklace. "Yes, absolutely."

Hazel smiled sadly. "Is this for a special someone?"

"Yes it is, he just won't admit it." Thalia said before Jason could answer. Jason elbowed her.

"So about that engraving thing…" Jason said to the shopkeeper.

Hazel picked up the necklace and turned the kaleidoscopic charm onto its back. "Ah, yes. What do you want on it? I can engrave it in less than a few minutes."

Jason thought. "How about, _To Piper, From Sparky_?"

"Lame!" Thalia said. "You want something better than that! What do you suggest, Miss Hazel?"

Hazel drifted off into thought. "If it were I sending that, I would say something like, _Piper, My Love_. Then underneath that have, _-Sparky_. That is way more romantic."

Thalia stared at Jason in a deadly way. "Okay, that will work!" Jason said, wanting to avoid any trouble.

Hazel picked up the box. "I'll engrave that real quick. Just wait a few minutes." Hazel went into a small room to the side of the counter and shut the door.

Thalia turned to him. "You are pathetic."

"What makes you think that?" Jason asked.

Thalia sighed and muttered something about hopeless. The two of them waited in silence for the shopkeeper to return. Shortly, the door opened and Hazel came out with the necklace case in hand.

"Here you go! Look how beautiful it is! Whoever she is, she's a lucky girl." Hazel said, wrapping the case in layers of cloth. "Do you have your money?"

Jason pushed the sack of gold onto the purple counter. "Keep the change."

Hazel handed him the package and picked up the sack. She looked at him in amazement. "Wow, this is way overpaying! Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Hazel sighed and looked off into the distance. "I remember being young and in love. Such a precious time…"

Jason walked to the door, but as he was about to open it his mind processed what Hazel had just said. "You can't be that old, can you?"

Thalia hit him in the arm. "Oh, don't worry about it, I'm not offended," Hazel said to Thalia, "I believe there are many things not yet understood in this world. Like curses."

"Time to go!" Thalia whispered urgently to Jason. Jason obeyed and followed Thalia out the door and into the busy street.

"That wasn't weird," Jason stated. Thalia just laughed as they headed back to the palace.

* * *

"Make way for the Princess!" Leo yelled to practically the entire city.

Piper felt ridiculous. Here she was, some glorious fake-princess in a brand new silk dress, with perfect hair, on a bronze dragon strutting through the main road in the city with a psychotic elf-boy. "Leo! You don't have to announce it!"

Leo looked back. He too, had dressed up for the act. "Sure I do. Make way for the Princess!" Leo continued to yell.

Piper blushed and put her head down slightly, so that the metal crown wouldn't fall off her head. The city people were beginning to make a pathway, and were definitely staring at Piper. Figuring there was no way to make Leo stop, Piper endured all the torture until they arrived at the palace gates.

Leo jumped off Festus. "Good Sirs, I am in need to enter your palace!" he yelled to the guards.

The guards laughed. "Oh yeah? What makes you worthy enough to?"

Leo stood nobly. "I am Lord Leo. And with me I bring Princess Piper, who has come to visit the palace of the High King Jupiter!" he proclaimed.

The golden gates began to open, and Leo hoisted himself back on Festus. They went through, and Leo jumped off again. He walked over to a stable boy. "Hey, kid. I need my dragon to be stabled. Twice a day he needs oil and Tabasco sauce, got it?"

The stable boy nodded nervously and walked over to the dragon. Piper climbed off gracefully and stood next to Leo. The stable boy grabbed Festus's reins and pulled him over to the stables.

"Alright, Princess. Ready?" Leo said. Piper nodded and they walked up the golden steps and into the main doors.

The hall was entirely golden, like the outside. Statues and pictures of the King himself lined the hall, leading up to a great throne. There the king sat, arguing with a spiky-black haired girl. They neared closer, and Piper nearly had a heart attack. Next to the throne was _Octavian_.

"Marry Octavian? Excuse me while I _throw up_! No! I will not. That is final!" the girl screamed.

Octavian smirked. The King stood. "Thalia! You will do as I say for the good of this kingdom! Go to your room, and don't even _think _about running away again!"

"I hate you!" The girl, Thalia yelled. She ran out of the room and slammed the doors.

There was an awkward silence. Leo coughed, and the King and Octavian's attention was diverted to them. "Um, Hello King Jupiter!" Leo said. Piper kneeled and pulled Leo down with her. They stood again.

"Good afternoon. I am Princess Piper, here with my escort Lord Leo. We are simply just visiting your palace, for we heard it was the best in the land. As it may also seem, word has it in my kingdom that your son, Prince Jason will soon be in need of a wife. My parents offer my hand." Piper spoke in the way she would when she was persuading for food.

Jupiter stared at them suspiciously. "Why aren't your parents not here then? Why send you yourself?"

Piper stepped forward. "Because, King Jupiter, they are currently in a war, so they are unable to make themselves present."

The King sat down in his throne. "I think I heard something about a war. Alright, make yourselves at home and enjoy your visit. I shall think about your marriage as well."

"Thank you, good king," Piper bowed and Leo followed her lead.

Jupiter clapped his hands. "Annabeth! Percy!" he yelled.

A familiar couple entered the hall. One with curly blond hair and grey eyes, another with black hair and sea-green eyes. "Yes, my Lord?" Annabeth asked.

"Show these two to their rooms. Percy, bring Jason to me." the King ordered. Percy and Annabeth bowed. It was then that Annabeth looked at Piper, and a look of recognition covered her face.

Annabeth covered it quickly and steered Piper and Leo away before Percy could see, however. The three of them walked through a nearby golden corridor. As soon as they were out of the king and Octavian's sights, Annabeth pushed Piper against a wall.

"What are you doing here? And pretending to be a princess, no less! And what's this?" Annabeth demanded, pointing to Leo.

"It's a long story, really," Annabeth stared at her. "Can anybody hear us?"

Annabeth shook her head and glared at Leo, who was currently messing with random pieces of metal and making a terrible noise. "Not a soul. Come on, tell me on our way up to your room."

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**I made sure to update today, it's my birthday! So consider this chapter a party favor!**


	9. Romantic Dragon Ride?

Percy came running into Jason's room, breathing hard. "Your…dad…wants…to…talk…to…you!" Percy clutched his stomach and sat on his bed. "I'll…just wait…here,"

Jason put down the necklace he had been admiring for the last hour, trying to visualize it on Piper.

"Okay, see you later man," Jason waved and left the room, at first taking his time. Then he realized that if Percy was running to come get him, then it was pretty urgent. Jason jogged down the stairs, finally arriving at the hall.

He glanced into the great hall, observing the people inside. Surprisingly, only Jupiter and his advisor, Octavian were. Jason walked past them and sat on his own throne. He looked at Jupiter. "You wanted me?"

"Ah, yes." Jupiter said, staring at Jason intently. "We have some visitors from a far away land. One, in fact is a princess, sent here by her parents to offer her hand to you."

Jason grimaced. "But Father-"

"It is imperative that you associate with her. Get to know her. Then you will have two princesses in your favor. When the time comes, which will be very soon, you may pick your wife." Jupiter interrupted.

Jason slumped in his seat. "Maybe I don't want to get married to a princess." he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing father. So where is this princess's room?" Jason asked. If he had to meet this princess, might as well get it over with.

Jupiter smiled. "Have your servant, Percy show you."

Jason walked away, and went up the staircase to his golden room. Percy was still sitting on the bed, though he had stopped breathing hard. He was dumping glasses of water on his head.

"Hey! You're getting water everywhere, man!" Jason said.

Percy looked up apologetically. "Sorry. I feel dehydrated for some reason. Do you mind if I go for a swim?" Percy stood up and shook his head like a dog, spraying water everywhere.

Jason jumped back. "Fine, do whatever you want. Just show me the way to the princess's room."

Percy practically ran the whole way there, even running into a very angry Thalia, which resulted in Percy getting shocked. They arrived at the guest section of the palace, which instead of gold was covered in silver.

Percy looked back at Jason. "So…I really don't know what room it is. Wait, I got an idea! ANNABETH!" he yelled.

Sure enough, his plan worked. The silver door at the end of the hall opened, revealing Annabeth. "Percy! You could've just knocked!"

"Found it." Percy laughed. "So, see you later! The ocean is calling my name!" Percy took off running down the stairs.

Jason walked towards Annabeth. Before he could enter the room, Annabeth stopped him. "Can I trust you two in there alone? I have to check on the other guest. I'm worried that he might be destructing his room." She moved out of the way.

He walked in, and was nearly shocked from the change of color from pure gold to a silver and pink room. A girl with chocolate-brown hair and a purple silk dress was leaning against the balcony, staring at the ocean view. Jason went beside her, and she paid no attention to him, as she was apparently lost in thought.

"Princess," Jason acknowledged.

The girl jumped, and turned to face him. "Jason?"

Jason recognized her immediately, now that he could see her face. "Piper? What are you doing?"

Piper leaned forward, holding a silver crown with purple jewels on her head. "I'm a princess! Well, not really…" She whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Jason said. He was really confused.

"You know that hammer we got in the eagle cave?" Jason nodded. "I tapped it on accident, and a man came out. He's in the other room, and his name is Leo. Anyway, he granted me three wishes. The first I used on no more poverty, which he'll be working on shortly. The second however, he made me a princess!"

Jason grabbed her hands. "That's nearly unbelievable. But I'm glad you're here. I didn't know whether you were alive or not! But I refused to believe you were dead."

He stared at the ocean, and seen Percy far away. Only Percy would dare go that far.

Piper put her head on his shoulder. "That's my Prince Optimist."

They looked at the ocean for a few minutes more, until they were so close Jason was about to kiss her. He was halfway there until-

"Hey, Beauty Queen! Have you seen this place? It's-" A scrawny curly haired elf-man stopped in mid-sentence. "Oh, bad time?"

Piper was blushing madly, but Jason thought she made it look good. "Leo! Have you ever heard of knocking? Has anyone around here?" she exclaimed.

The elf-man, Leo shifted his feet awkwardly. "I guess maybe that would have been a good idea…Hey, do you want to watch me shoot spit balls at the guards?" Leo asked distractedly.

Piper walked over to Leo. "_No_, Leo! We are here on business, remember?"

"Can I take Festus for a ride around the city? Then I can also plan for that no poverty wish! Please please please, Beauty Queen?" Leo kneeled on the ground and clasped his hand in a pleading way.

Piper rolled her eyes and shooed Leo away. "Fine! Go, just don't cause too much trouble, okay?"

Leo scrambled up and ran to the door. "Does that sound like something I'd do?"

Before Piper could answer, Leo ran out the door and down the hall, laughing madly. "You were serious when you said he was crazy, weren't you?" Jason said.

"Sadly, yes." Piper twirled in her dress and leaned against the balcony overlooking the ocean again. Jason wrapped his arms around her, and they stayed like that, talking about just everything, from their life stories, to random facts about themselves. The sun had already set before anyone interrupted them.

"Uh, Jason? Dinner is ready." Percy said at the door. He stared at Piper. "Annabeth told me everything. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Okay. Be there in a moment." Jason answered, looking at Percy oddly. Piper gave him a look that said_, I'll explain later_. "Can I use your bathroom to clean up?" Jason asked Piper.

Piper nodded, and they went and cleaned themselves up, occasionally throwing a wet cloth at each other. By the time the two of them were finished, both of their clothes had random wet spots on them.

"You started it Sparky." Piper teased as they followed Percy down to the dining hall.

Jason laughed. "Whatever Beauty Queen."

Piper punched him in the shoulder. "Not you too!"

It went on like that for the whole way down. Jason was so caught up in the fake-argument that they both ran into Percy, who had stopped at the door.

Percy laughed nervously. "So, I guess I forgot to tell you something. Princess Reyna arrived late this afternoon."

"What?!"

* * *

_Dinner was awful_, Piper decided. She was sitting in front of her mirror, combing her hair. She still had on the purple silk dress. Leo had informed her after dinner that he had gotten different dresses for her, and that they were in her closet. Sure enough, when Piper had opened the closet, several different dresses of all colors were inside, all following the same basic pattern as her first.

That Reyna girl was pretty intimidating, that was for sure. All through dinner, she had thrown Piper icy glares, like she had crushed her dreams. Which, she probably had. King Jupiter had explained at the table that Jason would have to choose between the two of them now. And Piper could somehow tell that Reyna really liked Jason. He however, looked like he was being tortured through the whole meal. On the other hand, Leo had spent his time there making food statues. One of which that landed on Reyna's plate when it collapsed.

In short, Piper wasn't it a very good mood. So many things could go wrong with this wish. She should've just left her life alone, so all this drama would go away. Piper really liked Jason, a lot, but when she asked Leo to make her a princess she hadn't realized that he was already associated with Reyna. Reyna, who was everything Piper wasn't.

Sighing, Piper put down the hairbrush and went to the door. She wasn't going to sit in this room for the remainder of the night with nothing to do but think. Piper decided to explore the castle.

Quietly closing the door she turned and faced the entire hallway. Immediately, she regretted coming out. Reyna was standing above a cowering Leo, yelling intently at him.

"Stay out of my room and off my balcony! Out!" Reyna screamed. Piper realized Reyna was in her bathrobe.

Leo laughed nervously. "Festus is really cool, I promise!"

Reyna threw her hands up and grabbed the handle of her door. "I will never, I mean _never_, go on a romantic magic dragon ride with you!" And with that Reyna slammed her door in Leo's face.

Piper ran over to Leo. "What did you do now?" she scolded.

"I was taking Festus for his nightly walk, when I passed by Reyna's balcony. I decided to go in and ask her if she wanted a romantic magic dragon ride with me. Only thing was…she was taking a bath. I think she digs me!" Leo said with a crazy smile on his face.

"Yeah, digs you a grave," Piper muttered. She started to walk down the stairs. "Seriously Leo, stay away from Reyna. I still have that last wish!"

"Okay, okay," Leo said in a fake resigned voice.

Piper continued on randomly in the palace, not really knowing where to go. After a while, she was yearning to go back to the silver hall. All the gold really got tiring. it was really adding to her agitation. Piper climbed up a big secluded tower.

She arrived upon two great golden doors, directly across from each other. The one on the left looked way newer, like it had just been put up today. Glancing up, she read the plaques placed on the doors. The one to her right read _Thalia. _The one on the left, however, said _Jason_.

Piper approached Jason's door. She hesitated before knocking. What was she thinking? Gathering all her courage, she finished the knock.

The door opened to Percy.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own HOO or Aladdin! Thanks forevermore for the reviews! Totally make my day!**


	10. Piper's Doubts

"Um, hello Piper!" Percy greeted her at the door. "Complete coincidence that you show up now, as we were just talking about-"

"Percy! Shut up!" Jason yelled as he punched Percy in the arm.

It was in fact, a complete coincidence. Jason and Percy had just been talking about Piper moments ago, when of course, she decided to knock. Not that that was a bad thing. Jason was ecstatic to see her.

Piper was blushing. Jason noticed that she was still in her elegant purple dress. "Uh, hi guys. I was just exploring, and I came upon your room…"

Percy hustled her in and walked himself to the hallway. "That's okay. Jason's always happy to see you! Well I'll just leave you two lovebirds to yourself. Annabeth's probably waiting for me anyways. Am I dismissed for the night?"

"Fine, just go!" Jason said. He was absolutely sure his face was red. Percy wasn't the best of help sometimes. Next time Percy ran into trouble with Annabeth, vengeance was going to be his.

The door closed, leaving Piper and Jason to stand their awkwardly. "So…" Jason said, trying to break the silence.

Piper blushed even more. "Is this a bad time? I didn't mean to break up your conversation or anything-"

"No! Absolutely not," Jason cut in. "Are you enjoying your stay?" Jason said, leading Piper to the balcony. Jason was glad it wasn't closed off anymore, he liked the fresh air.

Piper leaned against the railing and stared at the sparkling stars. She sighed. "Yes, it's great here and all. Leo's been working on the poverty project…and he got in a little trouble with R-Reyna…"

Jason grasped her hand and looked her in her kaleidoscopic eyes. "Is something wrong, Piper? Ever since dinner you've looked kinda downcast."

"You wouldn't understand." Piper pulled her hand away and looked back up at the sky.

"Try me. I'll listen."

Piper looked back at him, and he noticed that her eyes were wet. "Jason, how can you be so oblivious? It's obvious Reyna likes you! A lot. And I had no idea it was like some stupid competition! It's inhumane."

Jason stepped back a little. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"And all night I've been thinking about this. Who in Zeus's right mind would pick me, a poor commoner, over Reyna? She's beautiful, powerful, and everything else! What do I have?"

Jason grabbed her shoulders. "Stop, Piper. You have no idea of all the good things about you. _You're _beautiful. _You're_ powerful. And _you_ are the one I want. The one I like, maybe even love."

"Jason-"

Without a second thought, Jason swept down and kissed her. The feeling was absolutely wonderful, like the starry night had brightened by a ten-fold. And Jason wanted more. Instead, Jason restrained himself and pulled away.

"So, what exactly did Leo do to Reyna?"

Piper paused, as if she was trying to let all the current events settle in. Then, she laughed. "Oh, that! So apparently, Leo took his metal dragon, Festus, and parked by Reyna's balcony. Then Leo went inside her room and asked her if she wanted to go on a 'romantic magic dragon ride'" Piper said, using finger quotes, "Only thing was, Reyna was taking a bath."

It was Jason's turn to laugh. "Sounds like Leo!" Jason gazed out into the night and wrapped his arm around Piper. "Speaking of romantic magic dragon rides, I haven't really had much use for that new flying power I acquired in the cave. Would you accompany me on a short nightly fly around the city?"

Piper hesitated. "I don't know…I haven't really had much of a good experience with flying. I'm not really eager to try again."

Jason shrugged. "Suit yourself." With that, Jason jumped over the edge of the balcony, making it look like he was falling.

"Jason!"

"What?" Jason popped up next to Piper's head and kissed her again. Then, while she was distracted, he willed the air to lift him up slightly. Then he grabbed her and pulled her off the balcony and into the air.

Piper screamed. "Jason Grace, you put me down right now! Put me down!"

Jason smirked. "Is that any way to talk to a prince?"

"Fine! _Prince_ Jason Grace, please put me down, your _Highness_," Piper said sarcastically.

"Better." Jason went towards the balcony, like he was going to put her down, but at the last second he willed the air to push them upwards, completely above the palace.

"Seriously?" Piper yelled, and clung to Jason even tighter. She closed her eyes and leaned against Jason's chest, with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Piper, it's alright, I promise. I'm not going to drop you or anything." Jason soothed.

Piper cracked one eye open. "Reyna would like it if you dropped me."

Jason laughed. What made Piper think that Reyna was out to get her? Jason took his eyes off Piper and looked at the surroundings. He nearly gasped. Never before had he appreciated the beauty of the world at night. Random houses were dimly lit by candle, while the rest remained dark. The night sky glittered brightly, making up for the lost light of the new moon. The golden palace beneath them lit up the entire surroundings, boasting of its grandness.

"Piper, do me a favor. Look around you," Jason requested.

Reluctantly, Piper slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. "Oh, you didn't ever realize how beautiful this place looked at night, did you? I can tell by the look in your eyes," Piper stated.

"How did I never notice?" Jason asked, still mesmerized by the scenery. He saw Piper roll her eyes.

"I guess that's what palace life does to you."

Jason tore his eyes away and looked at Piper again, who was just as beautiful. "You say that now, but soon it will be yours as well!"

Piper blushed so deeply it was visible in the starlight. "Jason! We've only known each other for what? Four days? And you're talking about marriage?"

Jason gently willed the air to glide them across the city. Piper slightly tensed, but them relaxed again. "Piper, I have no choice. Depending on my father's mood, I might even have to choose before Thalia. And who knows what Octavian's up to. And I know, somehow, that you are the one for me, and don't you ever doubt that. I know it's so soon and all-"

Jason was cut off by Piper kissing him. "Okay, I understand. But what if they find out that I'm not a princess? Octavian is bound to notice sometime that I'm the girl from the cave. He _knows_ I'm not of royal blood. He was even studying me suspiciously at dinner today! It's only a matter of time before…"

"We'll figure it out. Maybe I can convince my dad that Octavian is plotting against him. Thalia tried telling him earlier, but he insisted that she was just trying to get out of the marriage. That's what Percy said Annabeth told him." Jason assured.

Piper sighed. "Word gets around quick, doesn't it?" Piper looked down and yelped.

"What's wrong?"

Piper pointed with a finger, but Jason couldn't see as she was still clutched to his neck. "Um, I can't see, Piper."

"We-we are above the abandoned building. My home."

Jason looked her in the eyes, which were currently bluish-green. "Do you want to go in?"

"What? At this hour of night?" Jason stared at her. "Okay, maybe I do." Piper looked down longingly.

Jason willed the air to let them down slowly to the ground. They landed on the soft dirt surrounding the crumbling building. Piper gave him a quick kiss and let him go, heading for the cloth door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Jason asked.

Piper shook her head. "No. I think it's best if I go alone. Wait for me in my room okay? I'll be there shortly." She quietly pushed aside the cloth and entered the building, giving him one last smile.

Jason floated around to the big crack in the side of the building, which he knew to be part of Piper's room. Jason stepped in, nearly tripping over scattered objects. Jason thought this odd, because the last time he'd been here, her room had been pretty organized. A deep voice broke Jason's thoughts.

"Piper?"

* * *

**Thank you wonderful people for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO or Aladdin, no matter how much I wish upon that star.**


	11. The Curse To Be Broken

Piper stepped over the scattered children across the floor as best as she could, without accidentally stepping on one. She nearly stepped on a girl's arm one time, but saved herself just in time. At the end of the room, Piper jumped stealthily on the broken steps and climbed up them to reach the second floor. She tip-toed across the creaky boards and arrived at Katie's cloth door.

Piper pushed it aside and stepped in beside Katie's window side bed. Piper clasped her hand around Katie's mouth. Katie jumped.

"Katie! It's me, Piper! Don't scream!" Piper whispered urgently.

Katie's eyes widened, and she pulled Piper's hand off her mouth. "Oh my gods! You scared the Hades out of me!" She examined Piper. "What in Zeus's name happened to you?" Katie whispered and motioned to Piper's fake crown.

Piper blushed for the millionth time that night. "Oh, that. Long story." Katie stared expectantly at her. "Alright. So…I'm a princess…kinda. But it's a long story, seriously. I'll tell you some other time, okay?"

"You better!" Katie whispered back as she sat up in her bed. "I love the dress."

"How have things been around here? Have you gotten enough food?" Piper sat on Katie's bed next to her.

Katie nodded. "Yeah. It was really weird. Today, some crazy guy who looked like an elf stopped at our door and asked to look at the building. We were hesitant at first, but then he told us he was rebuilding the building to reduce poverty. Then he left a whole bunch of food and blankets for us!" Katie lifted up her blanket, which Piper now realized had no holes and looked next to new.

"Anything exciting happen while I was gone other than that?" Piper asked.

Katie fidgeted with the lining of the blanket. "Well, Will's been going out of his mind worrying about you…and Travis proposed to me."

"Really?! That's great!" Piper whispered excitedly, but then she seen Katie's sad look. "Isn't it?"

Katie smiled sadly. "Yes, but I said no. He doesn't want to marry me. Not really. I wouldn't be the perfect wife, not here."

"Katie. Listen to me. I know that in the end, you'll choose what's right, but I'll have you know that Travis cares about you. And he doesn't care about how much money you have, or anything like that! You are Katie, and that's all he needs." Piper comforted in the best way she could. Her words must have worked, because Katie's face turned to a real smile. Katie leaned over and hugged Piper.

"You always have the best things to say, you know that?" Katie whispered.

Piper laughed quietly. "You're welcome. You've always been like a sister to me," Piper pulled away and stood up from the bed. "That's why it's hard for me to leave again. But I have to, for the good of you guys. Do you understand?" Piper asked. She was a bit worried about leaving again. She felt like she was abandoning them, but she knew they would be taken care of by her first wish and Leo.

Katie nodded tearfully. "Yes, I do. We'll be okay while you're gone. Maybe even better with this Leo guy reconstructing our building!"

"Yes, well, goodbye Katie," Piper leaned over and gave Katie one last hug, and left for the third floor.

As she arrived to her room, Piper heard soft talking, not completely friendly either. Piper pushed aside the dirty cloth and seen two boys conversing stiffly over a small candle.

"Will? What are you doing here?" Piper asked as she walked over to Jason's side.

"Nothing, Piper. Just go back to your precious prince's palace!" Will turned so violently that he blew the candle out.

Piper reached after him. "Will! I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way but-"

"Forget it." Will said and he stalked out of the room, giving Jason one last glare.

Piper didn't understand what was wrong with Will. She had long suspected that he had had a crush on her, but it wasn't like Will to act like that. Normally he was easy-going about everything, and was never that harsh towards anyone, no matter who they were.

She turned to Jason. "I'm sorry about that. He just wasn't himself today, I'm sure that's what's wrong."

Jason nodded slowly, like he had just encountered something he hadn't expected. Which was probably true. "Yeah. Okay. Do you want to leave now?"

"Yes, I think that would be best." Piper stepped over her scattered objects, stopping to pick up her dried up paints. "Aw, those are ruined. I don't know why it was necessary to tear apart my room." Piper stood against the familiar window.

Jason stepped up as well, and Piper wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ready?" Jason asked.

"Go." Piper said breathlessly. She realized how close she was to him now that her mind was off all the other things. It made her want to kiss him again. Again. Piper's stomach fluttered as she remembered that they had already kissed. He wanted her, Piper. Not Reyna, and not anyone else either.

Jason lifted lightly into the air, and they flew gently back to the palace with the night summer breeze drifting through their hair. Jason landed them on Piper's balcony. Jason brushed Piper's hair behind her ear.

"Goodnight Piper," Jason said as he walked backwards towards the railing.

"Goodnight," Piper replied. Just as Jason was about to take off however, Piper ran after him. "Jason!"

Jason looked at her bewildered. "What?"

With that, Piper grabbed Jason and kissed him. Piper pulled away and skipped back into her room, watching Jason leave as she did. After that Piper washed up and changed, then went to bed, honestly believing there was no one happier on Earth.

* * *

"Piper! Emergency, emergency! WAKE UP!"

Piper pulled the downy pillow over her head. "Go away Leo! I'm sleeping!"

She heard Leo walk across the room and approach her bed, but she stayed underneath the pillow. "Then I guess I'll have to…Jump on the bed!" With that Leo slammed onto Piper and began to violently shake the bed frame.

"Okay! Okay! I'm UP!" Piper scrambled out of the bed, trying to avoid Leo's lethal feet. She landed on the floor in her attempt and ran to her closet. "I can't _believe _you! I'm not even dressed!"

Leo waved it off, still jumping on the bed. "Whatever, Beauty Queen! This is one squishy bed! Royals are _so_ lucky!"

Piper rolled her eyes and grabbed the nearest dress, which happened to be a dark blue one. Piper hurried into the washroom and threw it on. She then sat at the mirror and braided her hair. Piper looked over at Leo. "So what's this emergency?"

Leo jumped off the bed and became suddenly interested with the bed post. "So I went to town to get supplies for that new building, right?" Piper nodded. "Well, I seen _Her. _I swear on the River Styx!"

"So let me get this straight. You seen Hazel, a woman you personally watched die, here in the city?"

Leo looked at Piper intently. "I'm serious, for once. I don't know what's going on, but somehow she has come back to life!"

Piper was having a hard time believing Leo. But on the other hand, so many odd things had happened lately. This could be no exception. "Okay, so what are you going to do about it?"

"Confront her. And I want you to come with me, you know, for support." Leo stated.

Piper sighed. "Alright. I'll come. Just let me get my shoes on."

* * *

Piper watched from across the street as Leo stared into the jewelry shop window. Of all places, it had to be _this_ jewelry shop! The one with her beloved necklace in it, of course. Leo hurried back to Piper.

"This is the one! I can see her inside." Leo said. Piper could tell he was nervous, just from his constant moving. The two of them crossed the busy street and slowly entered the shop. The bell chimed, and Piper as awestruck by the sheer amount of purple. It was everywhere.

"Hello, how may I-" The cinnamon haired woman stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Leo. Piper glanced over at Leo and saw that he was speechless. She decided to take matters into her own hands. Piper stepped up to the counter.

"Hello. My friend here, Leo, was wondering how much that lovely necklace in the window cost."

The woman, who Piper decided was Hazel, slowly turned her gaze away from Leo and looked at Piper. "Oh, yes. That was indeed a lovely necklace, but I'm afraid it is there no more. Didn't you look before you came in? A young man came in just the other day and bought it for his girlfriend. I'm very sorry." Hazel looked at her apologetically.

In short, Piper was devastated. Even though she knew she never would've been able to afford it, it was sickening to know the necklace was taken. Piper swallowed. "Oh. Okay. That's fine…" Piper looked over at Leo for help. Thankfully, he understood and came to the rescue.

"What are you doing here, Hazel?" Leo asked forcefully. It wasn't exactly what Piper meant by help, but it worked.

Hazel looked taken aback. "So…it is you, isn't it, Leo? I had my doubts at first." Surprisingly, Hazel smiled. "But now you are here! I can fix what I've done wrong, finally!"

"Um, what are you talking about?" Leo asked. He looked confused.

Hazel came out from the counter and stood in front of Leo and Piper. "I've been given a second chance, to fix what I've done to you. Once you are freed, I can be too! I'm stuck in this awful jewelry shop until you are free of my curse." Hazel explained. "But the question is, who will free you?"

Piper stepped up. "I will actually. I was going to save it as a surprise, but there you go."

Leo stared at Piper in amazement. "You would do that for me? Wow, that's awesome! Maybe even more than me!" Leo exclaimed. Then he turned to Hazel. "But what does that mean for you? What happens?"

"I go on, to whatever comes after death. And you will finish your life here, like you were supposed to before the curse." Hazel said sadly. "But do not worry, I'll be with Frank again. It will all be better."

Leo looked crushed by that last comment. "That's uh, nice…I guess. I think we should leave now, don't you think, Piper?"

"Yeah, we have that…appointment at the palace. Very important. Goodbye and thanks!" Piper said as they hurried out the door.

Once they got out into the street, Piper grabbed Leo by the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Leo looked heartbroken. "I'll be fine. Probably."

* * *

**Thanks for everything, sorry if this was a bad chapter, I'm sick. I did my best that I could while half awake!**


	12. Octavian's Portrait

Piper was walking to her room later that night. It had been yet another eventful day, with what Leo meeting Hazel once again. Once they had gotten back to the palace, Leo had shut himself in his room and worked all day, not letting anyone in.

Reyna wasn't in a much better mood herself. But at least she came out of her room occasionally. Even if she spent it shooting glares at Piper. Piper did feel sorry for her. She wanted to hate Reyna, but instead she found herself admiring her strong character. Piper wasn't sure how she would deal with it if she was in Reyna's place.

Piper sadly walked past both of their doors, which happened to be side by side, and reached to open her own door. Suddenly, someone clasped their hand around her mouth and then gagged her. Piper thrashed around wildly, but strong arms held her down and chained her arms and feet. Piper looked up and seen Octavian standing in front of her, with two palace guards at her sides.

"Nice try, girl! Did you honestly think that I wouldn't recognize you? I can't have you ruining my plans even more, can I?" Octavian turned to the guards. "Throw her in the ocean. And find that hammer! Now it's Prince Jason's turn."

Piper watched the walls as she was carried quickly down the stairs. Octavian had said something about Jason. What did that mean? Piper would never find out, because she was about to be drowned. Cool summer air surrounded her, signaling that they were now outside. It was dark, and the air smelled of rain. Then the smell of the ocean mixed with that, and Piper let out a muffled scream. The guard smacked her on the head very hard. Piper moaned and looked down the cliff at the thrashing ocean.

"Goodbye, Princess!" With that, Piper felt herself being catapulted into the air and down into the water. Salt water surrounded her, making Piper panic. She tried to breathe subconsciously, and ended up breathing in water. She choked, taking in more water each time. She was sinking, she could feel the water pressure collapsing on her body. Piper closed her eyes, not wanting to see anything anymore. Before she fell to unconsciousness however, she felt something grab her.

Whatever it was, Piper passed it off as her imagination.

* * *

"Lucky thing you escaped Octavian, Jason. Else she'd be dead. Nearly was by the time I got there." Percy informed Jason. Jason, Percy, and Annabeth were in Piper's room, waiting for her to wake up.

In short, Jason was extremely mad at Octavian. Once Piper was up, they were going to march straight to his father and show the proof of what Octavian had done. This was not going to go uncharged. Jason would make sure of that. Jason would go right now, in fact, if he didn't need Piper's testimony of what happened last night.

Annabeth punched Percy in the shoulder. "Percy! That's not the right thing to say!"

"But it's true…"

"Will you two stop it?" Jason asked. He grabbed Piper's hand, as if that would urge her to wake. Percy was right, in a way. Once the guards and Octavian had come to kill Jason, taunting about how they had thrown Piper into the ocean, he had jumped of his balcony and flown straight to Percy and Annabeth, who were walking home. Percy had then jumped into the ocean and pulled Piper out, who was unconscious. It had been horrifying to watch.

"What are we going to do about our little Octavian problem if your father doesn't believe you?" Annabeth asked.

Jason looked up from Piper's face. "Get rid of him ourselves. But he won't get away with it. Father has to have some faith in my words."

"Jason, I think you should go get some sleep. You've been up all night watching her. Go to your room and get some sleep, and I'll stay here with Piper, okay?" Annabeth instructed.

"What about Thalia? You need to attend to her as part of your duties. I'm fine, really. Just let me stay." Jason pleaded.

Percy stepped forward. "And it's my duty to attend to you, and you need sleep. Come on, Jason. We'll tell Thalia where Annabeth is on our way to your room."

Jason sighed. He _was _tired, there was no denying that. But he wanted to stay with Piper. Jason looked at Percy, who was currently giving him puppy eyes. Percy literally looked like a baby seal. Jason slowly got up from the chair beside Piper's bed. "Okay, fine. But tell me the minute she's awake, okay?" Jason asked Annabeth. She nodded and took Jason's previous seat beside Piper.

Jason followed Percy out the silver room and into the identical hallway. They soon hit the matching gold and walked on to the isolated tower that contained both his and Thalia's rooms. Percy stopped at Thalia's door and slightly opened it. Jason peered in a seen Thalia in mid-throw with a spear aimed at a painted portrait of Octavian.

Percy looked back at Jason. "You can talk. She's less likely to kill you."

"Thanks, Percy." Jason said sarcastically. He hesitantly stepped into Thalia's golden room, which she had once attempted to cover in black, and carefully walked over to a glaring Thalia.

"What do you want, Jason? I'm busy demolating Octavian's ugly face." Thalia snapped. Jason could tell she was in a bad mood. Come to think of it, a lot of people were lately. Father, Reyna, Leo, and now Thalia. Octavian was in a good mood, whether that was a good thing or not was obvious.

Jason started to straighten random things on her desk, very aware that Percy was waiting at the door. "Oh, I'm just here to tell you that Annabeth is in the guest hall with Princess Piper, so she won't be able to attend to you this afternoon." Jason said, keeping a calm face.

"Why is she with Princess Piper?" Thalia threw her spear, which landed in Octavian's right eye.

Jason continued as Thalia went to retrieve her spear. "Last night, Octavian tried to have her drowned…because of _you know what_. Right now she's unconscious. I wanted to stay but Annabeth is making me go to sleep." Jason had already told Thalia about Piper's secret with the hammer and all.

Thalia dropped her spear. "Oh my gods. He wouldn't! That just makes me hate him even more! Father will hear about this, I'm sure, right?" she asked Jason. Jason could tell she was in shock. They walked to the door.

"You bet. I won't let him get away with this. Octavian even tried to have me killed, but I got away. That's why Piper's alive. I had Percy dive in and save her. Percy didn't give it a second thought." Jason explained. Jason opened the door, showing Percy waiting on the other side.

Thalia slightly jumped at the sight of him, but then she reached out and hugged him. "Thank the gods that you work here, Percy! You are a hero. Now I'm going to go see Annabeth and Piper. See you later!" Thalia ran down the stairs and disappeared.

Percy pushed Jason into his room. "Thanks for hand there, Jason. Now get to sleep before Annabeth yells at me. Just ring the bell when you wake up, okay?"

"Fine…" Jason said. Suddenly, he felt tired at the sight of his bed. It did look soft and inviting, despite the solid gold threaded blankets. Jason sauntered towards the bed like a drunken man and collapsed on top of it.

Vaguely, before Jason fell completely asleep, he heard Percy say, "Thanks, Clovis."

* * *

Piper woke to Reyna yelling at Leo again. Piper took this as the signal that Leo was over his heartbreak over Hazel. Or maybe it was just his way of dealing with the pain. Piper didn't know, she had yet to decipher the way Leo worked. Whatever it was, Piper wasn't sure why Leo had chosen Reyna to bother. But as Piper listened, she realized that Reyna wasn't yelling at Leo himself, she was yelling at the world. And she was near tears, Piper could tell from the tone of her voice.

"And I just don't understand _why_ the world has to be so _cruel_ to me! I've already lost my first home, my family, friends, and now J-Jason. Haven't I already suffered enough? Haven't you?" Reyna asked Leo, she assumed.

"Come on, Rey. Let's not tell the whole city how you feel. Go back in your room, princess, and we'll talk more. Just not out here, okay?" Piper heard Leo say. Piper assumed they had been on Reyna's balcony, which was why they could be heard so easily.

Involuntarily, Piper sighed. This caused someone to jump up that was near to her. Piper turned her head and seen Annabeth standing beside her bed with a wet cloth in her hand.

"How are you feeling?" Annabeth asked as she rubbed Piper's forehead with the cloth.

"Fine, but, what happened? Why would something be wrong?" Piper asked, confused. Piper had thought that she had simply fallen asleep on her bed after a long afternoon. But now that she was moving around, she could feel bruises on her arms and legs. Where did those come from?

Annabeth analyzed Piper worriedly. "You don't remember? Nothing at all? This could complicate things." Annabeth laid the cloth down and started walking to Piper's closet. "Think. What was the last thing you remember doing?"

Piper thought back as she got up to sit at her mirror. "Um, well, I remember eating dinner…whenever that was. How long have I been out?" Piper assumed she must've been unconscious for quite a while. Piper began to braid her hair. Annabeth smacked her hands out of the way and did it herself.

"Since last night when Percy fished you out of the bottom of the ocean. It's late afternoon now. What did you do after dinner? Where you walking back to your room, possibly?" Annabeth had finished Piper's hair now, and was forcing her into a deep red silk dress.

"When did I get undressed?"

Annabeth smiled. "Don't worry, I forced Jason and Percy to leave while I changed you. Now think! Try to remember, please?" Annabeth pressed on. Piper was now finished getting dressed, and they sat facing each other on the silver bed.

Piper put her face in her hands. "So I was in an ocean, drowning. Where was I before that…." Piper closed her eyes and sunk deep into thought. Coming back from dinner…the guards. That explains the bruises. Then…Octavian! Octavian wanted her dead, because she knew about his conspiracies. Then the guards had thrown Piper into the ocean. Piper choked as she remembered the horrible details.

"What? Is something wrong?" Annabeth put her hand on Piper's shoulder.

Piper told Annabeth all she remembered, leaving Annabeth in deep thought. "Wait! Octavian said that Jason was next, after me! Is he okay?" Piper exclaimed.

Annabeth smirked. "Oh, yes. He's fine. I sent him to go get some sleep, he's been watching you all night and day! Thalia came and visited earlier, but then she went back to her room."

"Good." Piper would've been horrified if something had happened to Jason. Annabeth stood and led Piper to the door.

"Come on, I have to go tell Jason that you're awake. Then, we'll go confront King Jupiter about Octavian's plans."

* * *

**Disclaimer: As if it isn't obvious, I do not, in fact, own neither HOO nor Aladdin. But maybe for a Christmas present...**

**Thanks for everything so far! And Merry Christmas tomorrow!**


	13. Opposites Attract

"Just tell him everything that you remember, okay? Show him the bruises, too, as proof." Jason told Piper on their way down to King Jupiter's study.

Piper looked at her bare arms. The pattern of the dress was very revealing, so she had no problem seeing the bruises in the distinct shape of hands. "Yes, I know, Jason."

Piper was really nervous. She hoped to all the gods that Jupiter believed them. For extra witnesses, Annabeth and Percy had come along. Jason had decided to have Thalia stay in her room though, in case Jupiter thought this was just about getting rid of the marriage.

The group arrived at the secluded golden door. Jason took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. Despite the situation, Piper nearly gasped at the sheer vastness of the golden study. Sky high bookshelves lined the walls, while a large circular bronze desk sat in the middle. Inside the desk sat King Jupiter, who looked up to see the newcomers. Jason grabbed Piper's hand and walked confidently towards him.

"Father, I have something very important to tell you," Jason started. Piper quickly looked back at Annabeth and Percy, who were staring at the grand study.

King Jupiter smiled. "Finally, my boy! I'm guessing you have chosen this lovely lady for your wife?"

Piper blushed at the King's gaze. She looked over to Jason and seen his face was no different. "Uh, no. I mean, yes. But no. Just forget it, okay? I've come here on other matters." Jason explained quickly.

Jupiter looked at Jason expectantly. "Go on." he urged.

"Father, I have come here to confront you about your advisor, Octavian. I have proof of his conspiracies against you right here, if you'll listen. Please, father," Jason waited for King Jupiter's approval. The King nodded, and Jason let go of Piper's hand and gently pushed her forward.

Piper took a deep breath. "Your highness, last night after dinner Octavian and some castle guards kidnapped me and tried to drown me. Look at my arms, sir. You can see clearly the handprints. I have the servant Percy to confirm the drowning, as he was the one who saved me. Along with my murder, Jason's was also planned. He escaped however."

Jupiter came out from his desk and examined Piper's arms. "Why did they want Jason and you to be murdered, though?"

"We knew of his plans to overthrow you. By getting rid of us, he could assure that no one knew other than his supporters," Piper explained. Jason smiled at her proudly, giving Piper a confidence boost. "Please, King Jupiter, remove Octavian for the safety of yourself and others."

King Jupiter thought for a moment and stared at them. "Jason and Piper, you are dismissed. Percy and Annabeth, stay here. I need your stories from your point of views." Then the King sat again in his desk and looked expectantly at Percy and Annabeth.

Jason grabbed Piper's hand and led her out of the study, closing the door as he did. He looked her in the eye. "I'm proud of you, you know that? The way you say things…it's amazing. You can make anyone believe anything, it seems like. No wonder you are a thief!"

"Jason! Shut up. I don't want anyone to know about my past life." Piper exclaimed. She pulled away from Jason and started to climb the steep staircase that eventually led to her silver room. She heard Jason chase after her.

"Hey, wait up, Piper!" Jason came up close behind Piper and hugged her around the waist.

"Are you aware that we are on a very steep staircase? Let me go!" Piper scolded, though she didn't really mean it. In fact, she was flattered that Jason would do something so romantic. Jason let her go and grabbed her hand, and they walked together to the silver hall.

They were just walking past Leo's door when it opened. Strangely enough, Reyna walked out. At first, it almost seemed like she was blushing, but her face returned to stone as soon as she seen Piper and Jason's intertwined fingers.

"Good afternoon, Jason, Piper." Reyna said formally. Then she crossed the hall and disappeared into her own room.

Jason and Piper exchanged a look then continued to Piper's room. As soon as Piper closed the door, Piper hesitantly began talking. "You don't think…you don't think Reyna and Leo have a 'thing', do you?"

Jason looked slightly uncomfortable, but he still responded. "I don't know, maybe. What makes you think that?"

"I've heard them talking. Ever since Leo got heartbreak from that Hazel girl they seem to have been talking a lot," Piper said as she walked to her balcony and sat on the railing. Jason followed her and stood in front of her, grabbing her shoulders.

Jason made a face. "Are you aware that sitting on a very high railing is dangerous?" he said in a high voice, mimicking Piper.

Piper laughed. "Okay, Prince Sparky, if you insist…" Piper made a slight motion to jump off, but Jason held her up.

"I want you to stay. You look beautiful against the sunset. Besides, I'd catch you if you fell." Jason said.

Piper smiled at Jason. "Ha. Ha. Anyways, I think it would be really nice if Leo and Reyna got together."

"You think so?"

Piper nodded. "Yes. They would be good for each other, in my opinion."

Jason looked confused. "But they're so…opposite."

"My point exactly. Opposites attract. But they do have things in common, you know," Piper said pointedly. "Like they have both suffered immense heartbreak."

"Heartbreak? Reyna's never had heartbreak, I don't think." Jason stated. To Piper, it was pretty obvious that he was faking. In the time she had known him, she had learned to read his facial expressions very well.

So Piper rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly on the head. "Don't play dumb with me, Jason Grace. I know that you know that she liked you, okay? Can you imagine how devastating that must have been for her to have me come between you two? And poor Leo, chasing after a girl who will always love someone else." Piper said sorrowfully. Though she was glad that Jason liked her, that didn't stop her from feeling sorry for Reyna. Piper was pretty sure that Reyna didn't want pity also, but it was hard not to.

Jason shrugged indifferently, but Piper could tell that he didn't really mean it. "I suppose. We'll just see what happens."

"Um, sorry to interrupt you, but it's time for dinner."

Both Piper and Jason jumped, and Piper would've fallen off the rail if Jason hadn't of been holding on to her. It was Percy. Piper couldn't believe that she hadn't seen him coming, she had been facing the room. Then again, Jason was there, and it wasn't hard to get lost in his blue eyes.

"Okay, we'll be there soon. How did the questioning go?" Jason asked.

Percy's eyes lit up. "Great! I think Octavian should be packing his bags tonight. King Jupiter is going to interrogate him at dinner, and if he doesn't answer truthfully he will face consequences."

"That's wonderful! I'll feel better knowing he's gone," Piper said excitedly as she turned back to Jason.

"Are you sure you don't want me to escort you to dinner?" Percy asked as he looked longingly at the clear ocean.

Jason smiled. "Absolutely. We'll be fine. Why don't you go for a swim while we eat? My permission." Jason suggested.

"Really? That's awesome! Thanks Jason, you are the best prince ever!" With that, Percy ran excitedly out of the room, not even bothering to shut Piper's door again.

Jason and Piper just shared a look and laughed. "Let's go to dinner, shall we?" Jason asked as he took Piper's arm.

* * *

Octavian sat alone in his secret study, thinking about what the castle maids that worked for him had said.

So "Princess" Piper had been saved from drowning. With the help of Prince Jason's personal servant, of course. Meaning Jason had lived as well. Three witnesses to his bad deeds.

What really bothered Octavian was the fact of how that homeless girl managed to escape from the cave and came here to pretend to be a princess. Was it possible that she had the-

No, it couldn't be possible. If the hammer was really such a great object, then it wouldn't of done anything for a mere commoner. Although, it was a little odd.

Octavian pushed that aside and thought about what the small blonde kitchen maid had told him, which was far more disturbing. King Jupiter knew of everything he had done, and tonight could very well be Octavian's last in the palace. If only he had that hammer!

Frustratingly, Octavian pushed himself out of his wooden chair and walked to the door. Before dinner came, he was going to search both Piper and her escort, "Lord" Leo's rooms for that hammer.

* * *

**Well, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**


	14. The Truth Revealed

"So, Princess Piper, how is your visit here at my great palace?" King Jupiter asked Piper over the dinner table.

Piper took a drink out of her glass of water and addressed Jupiter's question. "I think that life here is very lovely, your highness," Jupiter looked pleased with her answer. "You've even begun to rid this beautiful city of poverty," Piper added experimentally.

A flash of confusion covered the King's face, but he quickly covered it. "Um yes, thank you. It was a problem that needed to be fixed immediately."

Piper took another drink to hide her smirk. She locked eyes with Jason, who was sitting directly across from her next to Reyna, and she could see that he was amused by Jupiter's response. Suddenly, Octavian walked proudly into the room and took his seat beside Jupiter.

"King Jupiter." Octavian acknowledged in a silky voice. Next to Piper, Thalia sighed in disgust. Piper smiled weakly at her then turned back to the King, who was slightly glaring at Octavian.

"Octavian. You were, at some point, my most trusted advisor. We must talk about your most recent…activities," King Jupiter began. Thalia tipped her chair back like she expected a show.

Octavian began to stammer. "Uh y-yes, your m-majesty. We s-shall." Piper glanced at Reyna and Jason. Reyna was staring in interest at Octavian and Jupiter, while Jason was glaring at Octavian. On Piper's other side, farthest away from the king Leo sat. He wasn't paying any attention and was instead constructing a house out of silverware.

King Jupiter leaned forward towards Octavian. "I have heard some interesting accounts concerning you, Octavian. They say you are planning to…what was the word? Ah, yes. _Overthrow me_. Does this sound familiar?"

Octavian's facial expression changed rapidly as he brought out a bronze hammer and looked Piper in the eye. Piper saw Leo start to frantically look in his tool belt for the object that was clearly in Octavian's possession. "Yes, King Jupiter. It's all true! And finally I will have my way, as I now own the hammer!" With that, Octavian slammed the hammer down on the table, and Leo held tight to his chair. The force of the curse, however was pulling him towards it.

Piper jumped up and grabbed Leo. "No! Don't leave! Stay here, Leo. I know you can do it!"

Everyone at the table except for a smug Octavian rushed to Piper's aide. But before anything could happen, Leo dissolved into a streak of orange fire and disappeared into the hammer.

"Leo!" Piper and Reyna screamed. Piper lunged at Octavian with full intentions of punching him and getting the hammer, but Jason held her back. "What's wrong with you?" Piper yelled at Jason.

"Piper, calm down! You can't beat him, not right now! He's got the palace guards on his side! They'll kill you without a second thought!" Jason said. Piper looked to the side and saw Thalia grudgingly holding back Reyna. Sure enough, palace guards surrounded Octavian and protected him. The rest of them roughly grabbed the royals and held them down.

"Now watch, great people, as I unveil the future of this city! After this, I shall be known as King Octavian!" Octavian said proudly. He then tapped the hammer on the table once again. Leo appeared, but this time he looked not like his usual self. He almost looked in pain.

Reyna whimpered, and Octavian continued. "Magical Entity, I wish you to grant me my right as king! I want to rule this city!"

Leo hesitated, but the curse forced him to go straight to work. In hardly a few seconds, Jupiter's crown was on Octavian's head, and Octavian was dressed as a royal would.

Octavian walked slowly towards Piper and Jason, with about ten guards surrounding him. "Oh, how sweet. A commoner and prince…in _love_! So disgusting." Octavian looked at the other's confused faces. "They didn't tell you? This trespasser, 'Princess' Piper, is just a mere commoner! Not even royal!"

"Lies!" King Jupiter yelled. A guard swiftly kicked him and gagged the King, so he couldn't speak anymore.

Octavian laughed cruelly. "Is that what you think? I'll prove it! You! Hammer! Make me more magically powerful than the castle sorceress, Hecate!" Octavian ordered Leo.

The curse forced Leo to oblige, and Leo created a curvy gold staff that shimmered with magic. Leo regretfully handed it to Octavian.

"Yes! Now, to prove the truth!" Octavian pointed the staff at Piper, and instantly the beautiful red dress diminished to the ragged brown one she had worn her last day as a commoner. Reyna and Jupiter stared in astonishment at Piper. Reyna however furrowed her eyebrows, like she was verifying if that could possibly be true.

"It's all very surprising, isn't it? Well enough with you two. Goodbye!" Octavian said as he pointed the gold staff at Piper and Jason.

Piper saw Jason break through the gag. "Leo, do something!"

Leo nodded and smiled slyly, but just enough for Piper to see. A white flash soared straight at the two from Octavian's staff, and Piper felt like she was spinning. They were transporting. Piper recognized it from when Octavian had transported them to the eagle cave.

Suddenly, Piper smacked down into a wet, cold substance. She regained herself and studied it through the harsh wind. Snow! It had been so long since she had last seen snow, it had not snowed in the city for a great time. Piper joyfully embraced it like a child and pushed Octavian out of her mind for the moment.

"Piper?" Jason called through the loud wind.

"Jason! I'm over here!" Piper yelled back. She frantically looked around her for any sight of him. However, she heard him before she saw him. The sound of clanging metal and loud footsteps lead her to him.

Jason came into sight with a gold chain in his hand. "Maybe next time we need help, we should clarify our definition of help. We don't need something that can fly! I have that covered." Jason stated.

"You couldn't get us back through this weather! Besides, Festus generates heat, which we need." Piper shivered and leaned up against Festus's side for warmth and a break from the wind. "I found that out when Leo and I were stuck in the rain for a whole night."

Jason shrugged. "That's true. There's no way I could fly the distance we need in this blizzard. And the heat _is_ helpful." Jason sat by Piper.

"So what now? It'll take at least a few days to get back to the city, and who knows what Octavian will do by then. What'll happen to Jupiter, Reyna, Thalia, and everyone else?" Piper asked. "And that's assuming Festus doesn't break down and leave us stranded."

Jason stood and jumped on Festus's back. He held out his hand to Piper. "I don't know. But we'll find out as soon as we get there. Let's go, we don't have any time to spare!"

* * *

Reyna sat in Jason's room, looking at the dark city. She didn't know why she had chosen his room, of all to lock herself in, but here she was. Reyna tried to convince herself that it was to supervise the city, keep track of what was happening, so that if- no _when_ Jason came back it would be easier to defeat Octavian.

But in her heart, she knew it was just to be in Jason's room, to feel that connection that she thought they had once had. But now he had Piper, princess or not. Reyna was mostly over him by now, of course, but maybe being here was like saying goodbye, finalizing the end of her crush. Only because of Leo…

Involuntarily, Reyna snorted. She sounded like a lovesick princess of Aphrodite's city. She was on a mission. Reyna double checked the gold doors she had barricaded, and put another chair in the pile, just in case. Then she crawled onto the balcony and looked at the darkening city through the short pillars.

In just an hour, the changes Octavian had done to the city were very noticeable. Guards stood at every street corner. People ceased to be out, though it was a Friday night. The whole city had an atmosphere of danger surrounding it. This was not the city that Reyna had come to love so much.

Reyna crawled back into Jason's room and sat at his desk. Quickly, she wrote down everything she had just observed. Why? Maybe just because she had to tell someone, do something, anything. It felt like she was making a difference, even if it was a small as that. Reyna laid the paper under a rock on the railing of the balcony.

She let her mind drift to why she was here in the first place, hiding from Octavian and his guards. She wasn't going to lie, she had been pretty shocked once Piper had been revealed as a commoner. At first, Reyna had had her doubts. Simply changing someone's clothes doesn't denounce them from their title. But it made sense. Reyna had never heard of any Princess Piper, and Reyna had made it her business to know every royal in existence at one point. It was an emergency battle tactic.

Then, when Octavian had made Piper and Jason disappear to who-knows-where, all Hades had broken loose. Everyone busted from the guards bonds simultaneously, and chaos ensued. Reyna had pushed past the guards and darted up Jason and Thalia's tower, leaving the cries of the captured behind. Reyna had been half tempted to go back, but what use would she be if she was captured as well? Reyna had closed Jason's door and began to pile his furniture in front of it.

Since then, she had been left to her thoughts and planning on what to do next. Of course, she could stay here until Jason and Piper returned. Jason had a stash of food in his closet, (She was searching for weapons, she swears!) and plenty of water and blankets.

But this wasn't Reyna's plan. Early tomorrow morning, she was going to sneak out of the palace and escape into the city. There, she would secretly recruit people to help overthrow Octavian. If all went according to plan, with the help of Piper and Jason, they would regain the kingdom.

Sighing, Reyna got up and collapsed on Jason's bed. Unwillingly, she thought of Leo. He was so different, but yet intriguing. Reyna could sense his hardships like they were her own. And Reyna worried.

Down there, Leo was being forced to be Octavian's personal slave. She wasn't sure how he had this ability to build and make things like that. He had disappeared into that mysterious hammer, and then reappeared again. Reyna could tell that there was something special about that hammer. Somehow, Leo was tied to it. Reyna hadn't liked the look of misery Leo had shown when being forced to follow Octavian's wishes.

Reyna didn't understand a lot about Leo, but she knew that somewhere, somehow, they shared something. And Reyna was more than determined to fix whatever was wrong with Leo.

* * *

**Thanks for every little bit of support so far, I appreciate it _so_ much! Like, I don't think I can put it into words!**


	15. A Town And A Plan

Things were not going well.

The dragon, supposedly named Festus, (Happy in Latin?), kept sputtering and steaming, and now that the blizzard was in past lands they were flying through a thunderstorm. Meanwhile, Piper was up front cursing and panicking as she tried to figure out how to control the dragon.

"Jason, I think we're going to have to stop somewhere and have this fixed. We can't go on!" Piper yelled back as she soothed the dragon and patted his neck. Jason could tell she was nervous.

Jason looked up at the flashing lightning and strained his eyes to see as far as he could. If he was seeing correctly, he could see a city through the pouring rain. "Okay! I think I see a city or something! Let's lower down and walk the rest of the way."

Piper obliged and slowly they began to sink down into the sparse forest down below. It wasn't a graceful landing, but at least they tumbled without breaking anything. Major anyway. Jason unfortunately landed in a pile of muddy water. It was better than a tree though.

Jason stood and wrung his soaking clothes out while Piper calmed Festus enough to lure him into the safety of the trees. After several minutes, Festus followed Piper.

Jason gleefully ran after them and found Piper snuggled in-between Festus's legs. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I care at this point?" Then she laid her head back down. "Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood. Can anything else go wrong at this point? The only reason we've made it this far is because of Leo." she mumbled.

Jason slid between a metal leg and Piper and hugged her. "We're doing fine, don't worry. And I'm sure people are fighting back against Octavian back home. They have to be." Jason reassured.

"I see Prince Optimist is back," Piper teased.

Jason lightly laughed and listened to the gently lessening rain. "We should be able to continue soon. Just think, at least the rain is over in the morning! Now we have the rest of the day to travel, hopefully. Then maybe someone in the city can fix Festus so we can get back up into the air."

"Do you have any idea where we are?"

"Sort of. I traveled a lot with my father when I was younger. We still have a day or two until we hit the city." Jason explained. "Of course, that depends on what occurs. If we fly it could be a day or less. If we end up walking it could be more. I was on horseback with my father."

Piper sighed and stood up. Jason did the same and grabbed the gold chain attached to Festus. "The rain should stop soon. We'll have to walk to the city and find someone to fix him." Piper stated.

So they walked noisily through the bare forest until the rain had long gone and the town was very near. As they got closer, Jason could see that the town was not very large at all, at least not compared to the city where he came from. Tiny sod buildings rose up and down the well worn street, and friendly people rushed through them, making small talk with nearly everyone they passed. In between the buildings and on the roofs grew gardens of all sizes.

Jason recognized this small town. He remembered being about eleven, and coming here on a business trip with his father and Thalia to meet with Queen Demeter, the ruler of this area. Then he had been fascinated with the assortment of plants of all kinds, and his opinion had still not changed.

Jason looked at Piper, who was staring at the town. "This place is ruled by Queen Demeter. She's famous for farming, as you can clearly see. I don't know what kind of help we'll find here, but there's bound to be something."

"Um, don't you think it would be a bad idea to take a giant dragon through their town?" Piper asked, rubbing the chain between her fingers.

Jason looked back at the trees. His eyes landed on a fairly old one that looked sturdy enough to tie Festus to. Jason pointed to it. "There. Tie him to that tree, we'll find help, then come get him."

Piper studied it hesitantly. "I hope he doesn't burn it down and run away. Leo would kill me for losing Festus in a foreign land!" But she still walked over and bound Festus to the tree. Jason watched as she patted his metal head and said a few reassuring words. Then she jogged back.

"So what now?" she asked.

"We explore the town!" Jason grabbed Piper's hand and pulled her towards the farming town.

Though Jason knew absolutely none of the townspeople, almost all said a greeting of some sort as he passed by. He returned a smile, and Piper looked absolutely amazed by the friendliness.

"Wow. I wish people back at the city were like this! Maybe things would be a little more happier." Piper said as she waved to someone picking weeds.

Jason agreed completely. "Yeah. All that negative energy in the palace is enough to drive someone crazy. Maybe when we get back we can introduce this kind of thing." Jason suggested.

They continued walking down the dirt streets, looking at all the signs on the shops for anything of help. Suddenly, Piper stopped.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"I just thought of something. If Queen Demeter rules this town, then where is her palace?"

Jason laughed. "Funny that you asked. We're walking on it."

Piper gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"It's underground. Completely. Then at the very end of this town there's an open greenhouse. It's amazing! I'll show it to you someday, when we visit Queen Demeter. But for now, let's just focus on finding a mechanic."

Piper nodded and returned to studying the signs. But Jason did notice she was walking more hesitantly now, like she was going to fall down into the palace. Jason had to bite back a smile.

"Hey, Jason. I think we found what we were looking for." Piper pointed to a smoking sod building with a sign on the front advertising blacksmiths. Obviously, it was exactly what they needed.

Piper excitedly pulled Jason in through the door. A deep bell chimed, and Jason felt the hot atmosphere of the shop hit his face. When he recovered, he was greeted by well-worn work tables and white-hot fire pits all around with assorted tools scattered among the shop. A dark man lifted his head from what looked like a pitchfork he had been working on.

"Hello. How can I be of assistance today? My name is Beckendorf. " The man said in a very deep voice.

Piper let go of Jason's hand and slowly stepped forward. "We have a, um, metal dragon, you see. And he is unfortunately having some issues, malfunctioning." Piper paused.

The man, Beckendorf, leaned in, interested. "A metal dragon, you say? That's…that's amazing. Where is it?"

"It's outside the city, tied to a tree. We'll pay any amount of money if you can fix it." Jason said.

Beckendorf laid down the hot pitchfork and started grabbing assorted tools and throwing them in an empty flour bag. Then leaned out the door. "Hey, Jake? I'm going to go out for a job for a while! I'll be back soon!"

He turned back to Jason and Piper. "Show me the way…um, What are your names?"

* * *

Reyna pulled the sash over her head tighter in anxiety.

Even though she was sure no one would recognize her, it served as a symbol of safety as she walked casually down the streets. Her heart beat against her chest rapidly, and Reyna tried to keep her face clear of any emotion desperately.

Once she had escaped into the city, she had realized that her plan hadn't been as efficient as she thought it would be. Reyna had no idea who to recruit, or where to go to first. So Reyna just walked on and on, with the nerve of the fact that she was getting absolutely nothing accomplished gnawing at her mind.

Reyna arrived at the end of a broken down street. There sat a crumbling three-story stone building, that had the sounds of playing children reverberating from it. Curious, Reyna pushed through a dirty cloth door and stood at the opening of the room.

About twenty skinny children looked up at her in curiosity. Reyna briefly felt self-conscious put immediately pushed it away. She looked around the room and seen homemade toys and scattered blankets around it. Oddly, some of the blankets looked fairly new.

Reyna kneeled down to the nearest girl, who had dirty blonde hair and soft brown eyes, and looked to be about eight years old. "Where am I?" Reyna asked her.

The girl stared intently into Reyna's eyes with her round brown ones. "You're at my home, we're all us homeless kids go when our parents die. Why are you here? Are you a friend of that Leo man who is helping us out?" she asked carefully.

"Um…I guess, yes, I am a friend," Reyna replied. What had Leo been doing here? Reyna added that to her list of things she didn't know about Leo. "Who is in charge at this place?" Reyna asked the girl.

The girl ran her dirty fingers through her hair then pointed to an old staircase. "They're up on the second floor. I think Katie and Will are here today. Travis and Connor went out to get food."

"Thanks," Reyna said. She got up and stepped over the blankets and toys to get to the staircase. Reyna carefully went up the stairs, afraid they might break. Finally, she arrived at the top.

This floor was made to resemble a community room, Reyna guessed. Boards were propped up on wooden boxes to serve as tables and chairs, and old books and paper were thrown randomly everywhere.

"Back already?"

Reyna turned her head and seen a girl with brown hair and green eyes in front of a doorway that must've led to her room. The girl looked slightly shocked.

"Sorry," Reyna apologized. "I came across this building and my curiosity got the best of me. I'm sorry if I scared you. My name is Reyna." Reyna walked over to the girl and held out her hand.

The girl slowly shook Reyna's hand. "I'm Katie. Is there something wrong? You're dressed pretty fancy, like a noble or something."

Reyna mentally cursed. She should've changed before coming, but appearance hadn't been on her list of priorities. "Can I trust you?"

"Yes. I swear on all those children's graves. But is it okay if my friend Will is here as well?" Katie said, looking behind Reyna.

Reyna turned around to see a boy with sun-kissed hair and blue eyes standing at the bottom of the upper staircase. "Fine. He can listen too."

Katie walked past Reyna and motioned for them all to sit at the wooden table. Reyna sat down across from Katie and Will. "Okay, so have you noticed that there are more guards than the usual in the city this morning?"

Katie shared a look with Will. "Yes. That's why we sent both Travis and Conner out to get food. It was just too dangerous for one to go."

"That's because last night King Jupiter was overthrown by none other than his own advisor, Octavian." Reyna explained.

Katie gasped. "No, that can't be true. Can it?"

Reyna nodded her head gravely. "Unfortunately, it is. I am Princess Reyna, I saw it all happen with my own eyes at the dinner table. I barely escaped. Things have changed very drastically in such a short time."

Katie and Will studied Reyna. "I heard the guards say you were here visiting the other day. If you really are the princess, then what are you going to do now? What has happened to the royal family?" Will asked.

Suddenly, Katie smacked the table. "What about Piper? Is she hurt? Oh my gods, please say no!"

"Piper? What do you know about her?" Reyna asked. She was really starting to find out more about Leo and Piper than she could understand.

Katie's eyes widened. "Oh, it's nothing. Piper's just an old friend. That's all. So what is the status of the royals?" she said quickly.

Reyna narrowed her eyes, but still continued. "That's the problem. I don't know. Octavian magically transported Prince Jason and Piper somewhere, so I have no idea how they are. The rest of the royals I lost track of after I escaped. I'm pretty sure some of them are captured though, I heard their screams."

"So what does this have to do with us?" Will asked as he picked at the wooden board. For some reason, he wouldn't meet Reyna's eyes.

Reyna sat back in her chair. "I have a plan. A plan to overthrow Octavian, in fact. It sounds like you know this city well, is that correct?"

"More than correct." Katie said proudly.

"Therefore, you know the people of this city?"

Katie shook her head and glanced at the door. "Absolutely."

"Good," Reyna said. "We need recruits. Strength in numbers is necessary."

* * *

**Thank you everyone for all your reviews, favorites, and follows! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin nor HOO**


	16. The Deadly Challenge

"Festus sure seemed to like Beckendorf, didn't he?" Piper asked as they flew high in the air. They'd been airborn for about an hour now, after they'd paid the blacksmith with pieces of gold that Jason had had randomly in his pockets.

Piper didn't know how people didn't realize how lucky they were. Who keeps pieces of gold in their pockets and gives it away at ease? The amount they had given Beckendorf was probably twice the amount Piper and all the people in the abandoned building had had in their lives!

Jason reached out his hand into the air and sighed happily. "Yeah, he seemed to like him a lot! Maybe when this is all over we can tell Leo where to take Festus if he ever needs a babysitter!"

Piper scanned the land below and ahead for any sign of the city. She knew it could take until late Tomorrow night to have any sight of it, but she still looked.

Unfortunately, Jason noticed. "Pipes, you're not going to see anything, I promise! We still have _quite _a while."

"I know, I'm just anxious," Piper said. She was glad that the weather was cooperating with them this afternoon. Piper hoped it stayed like this for the rest of the ride to the city. It was an opportunity to talk to Jason without the fear of being overheard.

Jason laughed. "I understand. We'll figure it out. People back home will support us."

"How can you be so sure?"

Jason played with Piper's hair. "Because I know my family," Jason said. "And I know Reyna." he added.

Piper stiffened. "What makes you think Reyna will help you? I mean, why would she do anything to benefit me?"

"I seriously don't understand what your problem is with Reyna. She won't kill you," Jason stated carefully.

Piper pulled her hair away from Jason's grasp. "And I don't think you'll ever understand, no matter how intricate I describe it. And I know she won't kill me, I just think she has moved on by now. It's just the thought of what I took from her." Piper replied. She studied the cloudless sky, not satisfied on where this conversation was going.

Still, Jason was clueless. "What did you take from her?"

Piper sighed and put her head down on the warm metal of Festus's back. "Forget it. Just forget it, okay?"

Jason went silent. Piper felt bad for snapping at him like that, but she was just irritated with the fact that he could be so oblivious to things like love. To her, things like that were clear as day!

And contrary to Jason's belief, Piper did not in fact, hate Reyna. If anything, she admired her. Reyna showed strength in all situations, even if she had to vent sometimes. Even if that person she vented to was Leo. Piper could definitely see what men would see in her, so why didn't Jason?

And then there was Leo. Something was going on between those two, even if they weren't ready to admit it. Piper almost sighed in delight. It was so odd, they were like polar opposites, but yet, they were perfect for each other. Like they needed that other side.

Piper suddenly realized how tired she was. With one last glance at Jason, she closed her eyes and fell asleep within a matter of minutes.

* * *

When Piper woke up again, the sun was long gone and the moon was halfway lit, the stars glittering along its shine. Piper was startled that she had slept that long. She brought her head up and looked back at Jason, who looked lost in thought.

"How long have I been asleep?" Piper asked. Jason remained unresponsive so Piper tried again. "Jason? Jason!" Piper yelled and shook his shoulders the best that she could without falling to the ground below.

Jason blinked and looked at Piper with a vacancy. "I'm sorry, what?"

Piper sighed. "Never mind. Where are we, do you think?"

Jason studied the ground below and the sky around them. How Jason could tell where they were on this planet just from that was a mystery to Piper. "Um, it should be just an hour or so, if I'm right. We made good time!"

"Okay. Wait, what are we going to do once we get there? We don't really have a plan." Piper said. Her nerves were really starting to kick in. Sure, Piper had been in plenty of dangerous situations in her lifetime, but none of those had ever prepared for this. It wasn't everyday that someone marched into a powerful palace and demanded a complete overturn of the ruling.

"Well, we do have Festus," Jason said.

"Meaning?"

Jason stroked the metal with his fingertips. "Meaning that we have an excuse to get into the palace courts. I'm assuming Octavian is keeping Leo close to him, therefore they'll be in the palace. If we disguise ourselves and say we are there to return Festus to Leo for some reason, there's a good chance we'll get in."

Piper twisted one of her braids with one hand, while keeping the other on Festus. "I hope you're right. How will we disguise ourselves?"

"Aren't you infamous for stealing things back at your home?" Jason asked slyly.

"Jason, I am not stealing clothes from people who worked so hard for them!" Piper exclaimed.

Surprisingly, Jason laughed. "I don't mean steal them off of people! I mean just take them from the store themselves. I'll leave money at the door, so it technically won't be stealing."

"I don't know, Jason…"

"What? What's wrong with it?" Jason asked in an offended voice.

It was Piper's turn to laugh. "I don't think your plan is a bad idea or anything, it's just I didn't steal like you think I did. It was more like I persuaded them to give it to me. Well, you were there when I persuaded that salesman to let you go!"

Piper turned away from Jason. She heard him sigh. "You can do it, I believe in you, Piper."

They were silent for a long while again. Piper didn't know if it was just nervousness that was making them on edge with each other, but conversation just wasn't serving them well. Piper broke the silence once again.

"So what are you thinking about? You look like you're getting strangled by your thoughts," Piper said as casually as she could. She was a little scared about what he was thinking about. What if he had decided that he preferred Reyna?

Piper felt Jason move uncomfortably. "Nothing much. Just wondering about what will happen once this is all over. I mean, what will happen to Leo? Or your friends back home?" Jason paused. "Or Reyna?"

"Well, I was planning on setting Leo free from his curse for my third wish. My friends back home will be happy in their new building, away from poverty for once and for all. As for Reyna…I'm sure she'll figure it out. She's a strong girl. Maybe she'll even get married to…" Piper trailed off. She didn't like to talk about Leo and Reyna around Jason, since he always seemed so sensitive about the subject. Another thing that irritated Piper.

"You think she'll want to get married to Leo." Jason said in a monotone voice.

Piper shrugged it off, not wanting this conversation to end in a bad way. "It's possible. I'm not saying it _will_ happen or anything. It's just a possibility, that's all."

"Piper, you need to understand something," Jason began.

"What?" Piper snapped. She didn't like where this was going at all.

"It's illegal. Against the laws. A commoner and a royal can't get married, or have any sort of romantic relationship. So it's not possible. No Leo and Reyna…" Jason sighed, then continued in a sad voice. "No you and me."

Piper stopped breathing. Lost for words, she struggled on what to say. It couldn't be true. After all they'd been through, all that was stopping them from finally being together was a stupid law? Piper was in short, devastated. But she was also determined. And patient.

"We can fix that. Laws can change, people change, the world changes. It's just a law, Jason." Piper said in the bravest voice she owned. Piper knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Jason that this was just another bump in the road. No matter how good she was a persuasion. But she refused to believe that everything she and Jason shared was all for nothing.

Jason didn't reply. Not that Piper expected him to, but something would be better than nothing. "I won't give up, Jason." Piper said.

"Neither will I." Jason said. Then unexpectedly, he pulled Piper back and kissed her. Piper could almost feel the thoughts he was sending through it, like it was telepathy or something. Piper's heart renewed with emotion, passion, and hope.

Jason was the first to pull away. "It'll work out. Maybe not in the way we expect, but it will."

* * *

Reyna saw them, gliding secretly downward into the forest just outside the city. She would recognize that big piece of metal anywhere. After all, Leo had parked it right outside her balcony.

It was time to raise Hades. Time to cause a diversion.

She darted across the stone street, and into a jewelry shop building that had been confirmed as a place of safety. Reyna quickly went past all the purple decor, and stepped into the small office behind the counter to meet Will. He was sitting in a wooden chair behind a small purple desk, stroking his guitar softly, but not loud enough to be heard outside the room.

"They've arrived, just outside the forest. I saw them land." Reyna informed him. She grabbed the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist. If this turned into a battle with the guards, she wanted to be prepared.

Will picked at the wood on the guitar on his lap nervously. "Okay. You ready for this?" Will asked Reyna. He got up from the chair and stood at the entrance with Reyna.

Reyna swallowed. "As I'll ever be. It's just pre-battle jitters, that's all. Perfectly normal." Reyna said, more to herself than to Will. Reyna wasn't afraid of the fact that this plan could turn bloody, no, it was the fact that it would fail. Reyna wasn't afraid to die. If it came to making the plan succeed (Therefore freeing Leo from Octavian) in exchange for her death, Reyna knew exactly what she would choose. Failure wasn't acceptable.

Reyna would feel extremely guilty if something went wrong. In her short time with the others, she had learned many things about them. Katie and Travis were engaged, for Zeus's sake! If one of them died during this, Reyna would never forgive herself. She had found out that Conner flirted with some girl named Lacy who worked in a dress shop all the time. Plus, Will had a crush on Piper. Katie had told Reyna that Piper had lived with them before she went to the palace.

The two slowly walked out of the shop through the back door. Reyna stepped into the dark alley, Will not far behind. "So this is farewell," Reyna said to Will. "Good luck."

Will nodded and Reyna took off running. She was near the end of the road when she heard Will begin to loudly play his guitar and sing as disruptive as possible. It was the signal to start. Reyna continued running down the streets, and soon half the city was passing on the signal to one another, different kinds of music screaming in all directions.

The glow of the golden palace gleamed upon the unhappy dark city as Reyna approached the gates. Reyna could feel her heart pounding wildly against her chest, but she ignored it. This was it. Her moment to shine.

Right on time, the guards noticed her presence. "Hey! Who goes there?" A deep, demanding voice yelled down at Reyna.

"It is I, Princess Reyna, daughter of Queen Bellona." Reyna said as brave as she could. For extra measure, she stood straight and held her chin up.

"Oh, really? You the one they looking for, aren't ya? What you want, pretty girl?" The guard said mockingly.

Reyna laughed. The guard was going to regret his words. "Exactly! I'm glad you know! As for what you want, I challenge you to a duel!"

"For why? What are ya gonna get out of it?"

Reyna stepped forward with dignity. "If I win, I win the loyalty of all the guards. If I lose, you may take me prisoner to Octavian."

* * *

**Disclaimer: If anybody hasn't understood this by now, I don't own HOO or Aladdin. **

**Thank you for all reviews!**


	17. 17 Too Easy

The guard was good, Reyna had to admit.

She was on defense, the guard on offense. He thrust his rusty sword forward, and Reyna easily blocked. It would have been a good attempt if Reyna wasn't so experienced. He continued this move, eyebrows narrowing as they went on.

He paused, and Reyna saw her chance. She swung at his side, switching her position to offense. Now she could finally finish this. She stabbed and sliced, occasionally hitting his skin, exposing blood. The guard would wince and hesitate, but that only gave Reyna more opportunities to overcome him.

Reyna could sense that he was tiring, but she had seemingly unlimited energy. This is what Reyna had trained for her entire life. Reyna swung her foot up and hit him directly in the chest, causing the guard to tumble to the ground.

She calmly walked over and pushed her sword to his neck. "I win. Now hand over your loyalty." Reyna stated firmly. She could see the gathering of rebels around her from the corner of her eyes.

The guard smirked. "Of course, Princess. But first ya have to get the word out, which takes time. The thing I know ya don't have."

"Open the gates!" Reyna yelled. It had taken all her will power not to just knock the guard out. Fortunate for him though, she still needed him.

The guard scrambled upward as Reyna slightly lifted her sword, allowing passage. She followed him at sword point down the secret hole that allowed entry into the palace.

They arrived at the great turning wheel that moved the golden gates. Reyna nodded to the rebels from across the gate, giving them permission to follow them in case she needed backup. The guard put his hand on one stoke of the wheel and did nothing.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Reyna barked.

The guard smirked again. "I can't do this alone."

Reyna pushed her sword into his neck, letting the slightest amount of blood squeeze out. "Nice try. Now call your fellow guards. It was part of our deal, do you not remember?"

The guard gave Reyna a dirty look then glanced over to the other guards, who were staring curiously. Reyna was surprised at the sheer amount of well, nothing that they were doing to stop her.

"Hey! Princess here is demanding that we open the gates!" The guard yelled over to the others.

Reluctantly, the guards walked over and began to push the wheel. Reyna was astonished. She was absolutely sure that they would go astray on the deal. Fight back. Something, anything. This was too easy. Something was going on.

Suddenly, guards from all parts of the palace came pouring out at them. Reyna swung around in desperation and locked eyes with Katie who was ushering the rebels into the palace grounds. There were too many guards for them to take. Somehow, they had miscalculated the amount present at the palace.

Reyna could tell from Katie's look that she didn't blame her for all of the plan going wrong. Something was bound to, but not on a level this bad. But Katie's eyes were full of determination, and Reyna followed her example.

"Rebels!" Reyna held up her sword. "Fight for all that could be righted!"

It wasn't her best of motivational phrases, but the rebels responded with cheering and dove right into the fight. She saw Katie and Travis hastily kiss before joining. Reyna pushed through the thickening bloodthirsty crowd, swinging and slashing when necessary with her sword. She needed to get to the main palace door and charge inside to take down Octavian himself.

She was almost there. Reyna glanced behind her, and immediately wished she hadn't. The rebels were hopelessly outnumbered, and they were losing bad. Though the rebels were fighting well, the guards were overwhelming. Reyna had said herself that there was strength in numbers.

A blade smacked into Reyna's upper arm. She held in a cry of pain and pulled it out, throwing the knife to the ground. Reyna looked for the attacker, and found him straight away. He was a young boy, much too young to be a guard, but he was dressed all the same as one. Reyna's bitterness rose. Who did Octavian think he was, taking kids and making them palace guards, brainwashing them as he did?

Reyna gave the kid a harsh glare and swung her blade into a nearing guard's chest. Reyna pulled the sword out of the staggering man, causing the kid to take off running. She hadn't wanted to attack to poor kid, so she had scared him off. It was the best she could do at the moment.

The encounter had put Reyna off track, and now she was far from the door again. Looking around the battlefield, Reyna gave up on the door. She had to save the remaining rebels. Reyna ran through like a mad person, or well, like Leo.

She could see it in the rebel's faces that they thought all was lost. They were over. Reyna desperately hoped for anything, something, to help them. She pushed through, taking down several guards at a time.

Reyna got her wish. The servant quarters, the only place not inhabited by battle, to the palace erupted with cheers. Reyna looked over curiously, as did all the people fighting.

A whole group of servants and maids, enough to overly equalize the rebel's numbers to the guards, were streaming into the battle field. Reyna almost yelled in joy, because she knew they were fighting for the rebels.

How? Because they were led by the two main servants, Percy and Annabeth.

* * *

The city was eerily deserted.

Jason pulled slightly on the golden chain, edging Festus through the city streets with Piper walking beside him. He had lived in this city all his life, watching the people stumble through the roads no matter what time of the day. But now, there was no one. Not even any guards.

The absence of guards is what made Jason and Piper decide that this was not Octavian's doing. If Octavian was in full control, then the city would be thriving with them. No, either the citizens had revolted or Octavian had taken the whole city to the dungeons. Jason suspected the latter wasn't true. There just wasn't enough room in the palace for a city of this population to fit.

"This is unnatural," Piper said breathlessly. "Anyone who could organize a system this big is a genius!"

As they neared the palace, screams and yells filled the air. "I think we found the city, and the rebels are either winning or losing from the sound of it." Jason said.

They rushed quickly through the streets until the gates became visible. Oddly enough, the gates were already open, though only halfway. So much for their plan. Battle was ensuing violently, and Jason swore he could almost feel the uplifting spirit of the rebels.

From the looks of it, the rebels were winning by far. But judging from the wounds and bodies on the ground, they weren't at first. Jason wondered what had made the battle turn around.

"Jason, are we going to join the fight?" Piper said, pulling Jason from his thoughts. She held a shiny bronze dagger in her hand, and Jason didn't want to know where she had got it.

Jason shook his head. "No, we have to get into the palace and take Octavian. From the looks of it, no one has gotten it yet, so that's our job."

"How are we going to get in?" Piper asked. She almost looked a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten to join the fight. Jason understood. He could feel the excitement from the rebels pulling him it, luring him to be a part of it.

Suddenly, someone came flying out at them from the gates, pushing Jason to the ground. "Took you long enough! Thought we were going to have to do this all by ourselves!"

Jason regained himself and stood back up again. "Reyna! You did all this?"

It was obvious that Reyna had been fighting her heart out. She had splatters of blood and whatever else all over her dress and face, and her tight braid was falling out. Her right arm was roughly patched with a cloth, so Jason assumed that she had gotten hit at some point.

Reyna blushed and wiped her bloody sword on her dress. "Well, not exactly. I had a lot of help from some friends of Piper," Reyna locked eyes with Piper. "You know, Katie, Will, Travis and Conner. They recruited most of the city and here we are, winning. We wouldn't be without the help of the servants, Percy and Annabeth though."

"That's impressive," Piper said. "Do you know a good way into the palace? We're going for Octavian."

Reyna smirked. "Actually, I've been thinking about that. If the guards haven't taken down the doors by now, Jason's room should be about the best way in."

"Thanks a lot, Reyna. I don't know where we'd be without you!" Jason said. He walked to Festus's side and held out his hand for Piper. She grabbed his hand but looked back at Reyna.

Reyna had a wistful look on her face. "If you guys don't mind, I'd like to come too. You know, things can get pretty unpredictable at times…"

Piper smiled at Jason, then turned back to Reyna. "Sure, I completely understand. Come on, though I'm sorry. It's not a romantic dragon ride, but maybe if everything goes right you can get one later."

Reyna flushed and glared at Piper. "Oh, shut up!"

* * *

**Thanks for well, EVERYTHING! You guys are the best!**


	18. The Third Wish

It wasn't hard to find Octavian. He was, in all his fake glory, sitting in King Jupiter's throne, bragging to a chained up Thalia about all his victories. The glowing bronze hammer rested on a delicate gold table that was next to the throne.

Surprisingly, no guards surrounded him, and Jason assumed that they were all currently fighting outside the palace. His dad was no where in sight, which probably meant he was in the dungeons. Thalia was chained to the throne by her hands and feet, the chains just long enough for some mobility around the hall. She looked like she was about to kill someone, and Jason reminded himself that she probably was thinking about it. Her delicate gold crown was atop her head, and she was in a very beautiful red dress.

"Thalia, dear, why don't you finish polishing my throne? It looks a little dull right here, I think you missed a spot," Octavian said in a silky voice.

Thalia grabbed the cloth that had been beside her and threw it at him with a glare. "Octavian, _dear_, why don't you polish your own cursed throne?" Thalia returned.

Octavian shot up and grabbed Thalia by the neck. "You insolent girl! I've had enough of this!" he pushed her down, and it took both Piper and Reyna to hold Jason back from exposing himself and punching Octavian.

"Leo!" Octavian yelled as he sat back in his throne.

Thalia grabbed her crown and threw it to the ground just as a very sullen man came from around the corner that Jason, Reyna, and Piper were hiding behind. Piper nearly screamed, but Jason covered her mouth.

"Reyna? What are you doing here? He'll kill you!" Leo whispered to Reyna.

Reyna jumped slightly. "Nothing. No time to tell! Just get out there!"

"Be careful, Reyna." Then Leo went around the corner and walked to Octavian's throne.

Piper watched as he walked. "You know, it's like Jason and I don't exist with Reyna here. I mean seriously," she complained.

Reyna pulled out her sword. "Tell me about it. I come back from a battle and the only thing he says is _be careful_? What kind of support is that?" Reyna said sharply, though Jason could tell she was just happy he was alive still.

Jason had been trying to deny it, because it just defied all of his thinking processes, but Reyna and Leo…well, they did have something between them. It didn't make sense to Jason. But if it was in fact true, he was happy for them. It was good for the both of them to find someone who felt the same about the other.

"So what's our plan?" Reyna asked.

"I don't know, let's just watch and see what happens." Jason said.

Leo had gotten to Octavian's throne by now. Thalia was glaring at Octavian still, but she was also studying Leo's face. She could tell something was up. Thalia's eyes searched the room, but Jason knew that she wouldn't be able to see them from behind the corner. Back at the throne, Leo bowed awkwardly.

"I have decided my third wish." Octavian stated.

Leo stood back up again. "And what is it, King Octopus?"

"Octavian!"

Leo smirked, though that probably wasn't the best idea. "Sorry, my name's Leo, not Octavian, so you can't yell at me."

Octavian slammed his hand down on the throne and adjusted his crown. "I'll be glad when you are disposed of. However, for my third wish, I want Princess Thalia to fall in love with me. She won't behave in her current state."

Leo held up his hands. "Ooh, good one, Octopus. But one problem: I can't do it." Leo said calmly.

"And why not?" Octavian screeched.

At this point, Leo started babbling a lot of nonsense, so Jason thought it was best to intervene. He crept around the corner, and flew to the ceiling, making sure Octavian's attention was kept on Leo. He looked down and saw Piper and Reyna go in opposite directions to different sides of the hall.

Jason thought of what they could possibly do at this point. It wasn't fair, but they could all ambush Octavian all at once. It was about their only choice. Besides, Octavian had a magical staff, which should about equal all of their abilities combined. Jason hoped everyone else understood what they would have to do to end this.

A sudden clatter of metal shook Jason out of his thoughts. Jason looked around at the ground and saw Thalia shakily pick up her crown. She had seen one of them.

Octavian's attention shifted. "What is your problem?"

Leo frantically shook his head, probably motioning for Thalia to not talk back and make matters worse. Thankfully, Thalia understood. She lifted herself up, placed her crown upon her head and strode to Octavian as far as the chains would allow.

"My problem?" Thalia said in a seductive voice that made Jason want to throw up. "Oh, my Lord, my problem is that you are just _so_ attractive. I can hardly think straight, you are so distracting!"

Octavian looked questionably at Leo, who encouraged him. Octavian thought that Leo had granted him his wish. He was obviously pleased with this. "Well done, Leo. Now off with you, I have other matters to attend to. Like my new wife."

Thalia giggled in a very un-Thalia like way. "You're so dreamy…and powerful. Who could resist all of that? I cannot wait for our marriage! I'll be envied by all the women of the city!"

Jason wondered how much self-control it was taking Thalia to say all of that without gagging. Octavian stroked Thalia's face (Jason was sure Thalia would scrub her face until it was raw after this) and stared at her curiously.

"This is an effective spell, no doubt. You are madly in love with me, aren't you, Princess Thalia?" Octavian said.

Thalia nodded slowly, still pretending to be love struck. But then, everything went wrong. Octavian narrowed his eyes at Thalia.

"Who is that? I can see someone in the reflection of your crown!" Octavian screamed.

Thalia's eyes widened. Jason looked in her direction and seen Piper, dashing madly for cover. Jason glanced back at Thalia, and immediately wished he hadn't. Why? Because Thalia did something so vile, so disgusting, that Jason was sure her mouth would never be the same.

Because that's when Thalia reached over and started to passionately make out with Octavian.

Jason was pretty sure his eyes were going to go blind. It's gross enough to see Thalia kiss someone, let alone that person be Octavian. Jason locked eyes with Piper, and could see that she was equally disgusted. Behind Octavian, Leo was fake gagging.

Reyna was the only one who kept her head. She dashed for the bronze hammer while Octavian was preoccupied and Jason realized that they had never even discussed the hammer in their pathetic plans. They had come to defeat Octavian, not take custody of Leo back.

Whatever she was doing, however, didn't work. Right as she grasped the handle of the hammer, Octavian snapped out of his daze.

"Trickery!" Octavian yelled. He pushed Thalia to the ground once more. Thalia grabbed Octavian's scepter out from the loop it had been straddled in and smacked him in the stomach.

Before Octavian recover, Jason flew down and met Piper. With one nod, they charged after Octavian, sword and dagger raised, while Reyna inched towards the hammer. Octavian was apparently expecting them though. He turned around and raised his staff, causing their weapons to fly out of their hands and slide to the other side of the hall.

"Not so fast," Octavian mocked and waved a finger. "I'm in charge here. Bow to your King!"

Jason felt his bones being pushed downward against his will, his mind taken over by Octavian's will. It was one of the most painful things he had ever endured. He looked to the side and seen he had been the only one affected by Octavian's spell. Piper was standing strong, glaring at Octavian.

"Bow to me, Fake Princess Piper!" Octavian screamed.

"No!" Piper's voice resonated across the hall powerfully. It diverted everyone's attention, even Reyna's. Jason could feel Octavian's spell slightly stumble within him.

Octavian sneered. "Not my problem, then. Now watch your friends die!"

Octavian pointed his staff at Reyna, who had finally gotten hold of the hammer again. She grasped it tight, but that hadn't been Octavian's goal. An oversized hourglass surrounded Reyna, but instead of being filled with sand it had water slowly trickling down the side. What was it with Octavian and drowning his enemies?

Before Jason could react fully to that, however, Octavian returned to him. Octavian muttered something under his breath, and the last thing he heard was Piper's scream as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Piper was fuming. They should've had a better plan, because things were definitely not working out as they'd hoped.

Reyna was trapped in a water hourglass, Thalia was chained so her mobility was limited, and Jason was…anything but dead. Piper couldn't let herself believe Octavian was _that_ vile of a creature. Everyone else was busy with the ensuing battle outside.

That left her and Leo to defeat Octavian, and Leo was restricted by the curse, so he couldn't do much against him. Plus Leo was preoccupied by the fact that the only girl who'd ever liked him back was drowning. So Piper was pretty much on her own.

"Fine, Octavian. Have it your way. It's just us two. You, a powerful magician, against me, a homeless girl. But I'm not going without a fight." Piper spat. Then she took off running for her dagger.

Octavian shot spells at her back, but Piper didn't care, she already had Katoptris in her hand. What good that was against a constant flow of spells, she had no idea, but at least it felt like some sort of protection. Piper dodged behind the blasted parts of pedestals and furniture, trying to avoid Octavian.

_Think, Piper, think_, she thought to herself. What was Octavian's weakness? He wanted power, and he'd do anything to get it. Maybe some persuading words…

Piper stood up from behind the broken golden stone.

"Finally come to face your fate?" Octavian asked in a jeering voice.

Piper tried to look confident. "No, I have not, in fact. But I am here to tell you that I know you, Octavian. You want power because you feel insecure, like you'll be just another forgotten person if you don't have it. Well I have a suggestion for you, Octavian. Maybe if you'd stop snaking your way into everybody's business and-"

"Snaking?" Octavian said offensively.

Piper winced. Wrong choice of words. She had only made Octavian more angry, which is exactly what they didn't need. Piper had let her emotions take control of her words.

It was too late. "Is that what you think of me? A snake?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd take it to heart!" Piper exclaimed nervously.

Octavian laughed. "If it's a snake you want, it's a snake you'll get!" Octavian slammed his gold staff into the golden floor.

At first, Piper thought it was a useless attempt. But then Octavian began to change. Next to Thalia making out with him, this came in second place on the disgusting scale.

First of all, Octavian's clothes disappeared. Piper could've lived her whole life without that image, but now it was stuck forever in her mind. Then, yellow slimy scales grew from his skin, and his body parts started to conform into one. His new snake form began to grow, until it nearly reached the golden ceiling.

"Oh…my…gods," Piper said in a small voice. There was no way in Hades that she would be able to defeat something that large. Not with her tiny dagger.

But then she glanced at her friends, who were in need of her. This was her job, her destiny. And that was that. There was no way around it.

With that in mind, Piper charged at Octavian.

* * *

**Thank you, my lovely supporters for all your...well, support! **


	19. The Enchanted Hourglass

Octavian had a big advantage over Piper in snake form.

She had to concentrate on both not getting wrapped in his coils and not getting struck by his fangs, which she assumed were poisonous. Piper stabbed him as many times as possible, but it seemed like nothing harmed him, they were merely paper cuts.

Between lunges she could see Leo trying frantically to break the hourglass that contained Reyna. The water was up to her chest by now, and she was swinging Leo's hammer into the glass, but nothing was happening. Thalia was zapping…(lightning?) into the chains, but she was having just a much luck as Leo and Reyna.

Something hit Piper in the legs, causing her to tumble to the ground. She had been caught off guard. Katoptris skidded across the hall, completely out of reach. Octavian's slimy snake body wrapped around her in a giant yellow coil. He lifted her up and held her uncomfortably close to his ugly head. She could smell the poison dripping from his fangs.

"You fight well, Piper. But I'm afraid you are out of chances! I'm too powerful for you," Octavian taunted. She was glad he still kept his normal voice, even though it was amplified by a hundred times. Octavian with a snake voice would have been creepy, even by his standards.

But it was true. Piper had no idea what to do next. She closed her eyes, hoping for some type of inspiration. She imagined herself back at home, stealing food, laughing with her friends. Stealing food…

She was inspired. Piper thought of Octavian as a greedy salesman. "Yes, you _are_ indeed powerful. But too bad you won't ever be the most powerful! Such a shame, really," Piper said convincingly.

Octavian considered what she had said. "Why am I not the most powerful? I asked to be more powerful than that annoying sorceress, Hecate, who is now locked in the dungeon. And she was once the most powerful, I know that for a fact!"

"Oh, yes. But key word: once. That was before the most powerful being in the world came back to life! I guess you'll always be second best," Piper lured. She hoped Octavian would take the bait. By judging his snake expression, he was.

"Who is the most powerful? I must know his secret!" Octavian screamed so forcefully that Piper was sure her hair was covered in poison and snake spit.

Piper laughed the best she could. "That's the funny part. He's right there." Piper motioned the Leo with her head.

"The hammer boy?" Octavian asked. Leo dropped the saw he was holding. He must not have realized where this conversation was going. Thankfully, he snapped out of his shock quickly. He mouthed _Be back _to Reyna, who was struggling to stay above the water by now, and stood up proudly.

"Yes, it is I, the Most Awesome Leo, and also the most powerful being in the world! Ladies can't resist me, baby!" Leo flexed his pitiful muscles.

Octavian hissed. "Leo! Since you lied to me about my last wish, I have decided what I officially want!"

The coils tightened around Piper, making her gasp for breath. Whether Octavian meant to do that or not, she didn't know, but she was going to suffocate if she didn't do something. Before she could think about what she was doing, she bit into the slimy yellow scales.

Octavian screeched and dropped Piper. She hit the ground hard, and heard something crack. It was her ankle. Perfect. Now she couldn't walk. Piper bit her lip and crawled towards Octavian on her elbows, dragging her feet behind.

"I want you to make me like you! That is my final wish!" Octavian said to Leo.

Leo backed away. "You sure about that Octopus?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Piper was by the hourglass by now. Reyna was nearly covered by the water. She treaded furiously, but Piper could tell she was quickly tiring. Piper lifted Leo's saw and began to smack the glass as hard as possible while watching Leo and Octavian.

Leo shakily reached into his tool belt and pulled out a square piece of gold. "Here you go, Octopus. All your greatest dreams fulfilled. Be my guest!"

Octavian snapped the gold out of Leo's hand with his mouth and swallowed it. Leo's eyes widened, and immediately Octavian shrunk back into his normal form. He seemed ordinary, but if Piper looked closer she could see a yellow haze surrounding him.

Octavian snapped his fingers, and his staff appeared, only it vibrated with power. "Yes! The world is mine!"

"Not so fast, buddy!" Leo yelled. "I think you're forgetting something about me!"

Octavian studied Leo with disgust, and Piper returned to hitting the hourglass. "What?" he snapped.

"My life is tied to this hammer!" The hammer disappeared from Reyna's hands and appeared in his. "So behold, the great toy snake!"

Piper looked behind her, and sure enough a toy snake appeared at Octavian's feet. Octavian picked it up.

"This is pathetic. You lie, of course. Goodbye, Leo." Octavian raised his glowing staff.

That's when Leo threw his hammer. That's also when he totally missed Octavian and hit a statue of Jupiter. The hammer bounced back from the impact, and hit the top of the hourglass, making the top half crack and break off.

Octavian screamed in rage that Leo dared to assault him, and they began fighting. Piper looked back at the hourglass, hoping to see Reyna climbing out in victory.

She wasn't. Instead, she was gently sinking, exhaustion taking its toll. Piper gritted her teeth, stood up, and grabbed the top and swung herself down into the hourglass. Piper dove down, but she couldn't see Reyna anywhere. She broke back to surface, and looked again.

It wasn't just any hourglass filled with water. Inside, it was an ocean. Piper knew there was no way she would be able to get Reyna out. Especially with a broken ankle. She climbed out with her arms and landed on her knees, trying to prevent any more pressure on her ankle.

Leo and Octavian were fighting vigorously. Thalia was about to faint from doing to much magic. Piper looked around the room hopelessly and saw Jason twitching. The spell was wearing off! Piper crawled over to him as quick as possible, and shook his shoulders.

"Jason! Please wake up! Please, Jason!"

Above them, a piece of the golden ceiling crashed down, nearly hitting them. Fortunately, it snapped Jason awake. "What's going on?"

"Nothing! Don't worry about it. I need you to go find Percy! Reyna's drowning!" Piper said hysterically.

That got Jason's attention. He jumped up and ran out the main doors without a second thought about it. Piper looked around the crumbling hall despairingly. She hated feeling like she couldn't do anything to help.

* * *

Jason was sprinting so fast that he wasn't completely sure he was even touching ground anymore.

Once he got to the courtyard, he scanned the battlefield for Percy. If it could even be called a battlefield anymore. The fighting had ceased, and the rebels were rejoicing as they cleaned up. Although many structures were cracked, it hardly looked like anything had happened. But then of course, it was night, so it was hard to see much of anything.

He found Percy helping Annabeth patch up wounds near the servants quarters. Jason ran towards them so quickly that he almost didn't stop in time.

"Percy! I need your help!" Jason yelled as he ran.

Percy turned around and looked at Jason questionably. "What? What's wrong?"

"Hurry! Reyna's drowning!" Jason urged. Then he sprinted back to the palace, and he could sense Percy not far behind. He pushed the doors open, and they ran past Leo and Octavian to Piper, who was pressed up against a broken hourglass, talking to it soothingly.

She must have heard them, because she flung her head in their direction. "Quickly! Please, she's dying!"

Percy jumped into the hourglass without any questions. Jason was just about to ask Piper about everything that had happened while he was unconscious when Octavian returned his attention to them. Piper started to crawl over to Leo, and Jason understood. She was trying to draw attention away from the hourglass.

Octavian followed them with his eyes, shielding Leo's attacks with a simple waves of his golden staff. "Oh, look at that. Piper's precious Prince Jason is awake again! Not for long!"

"No!" Piper said. She grabbed Jason belt and pulled herself up, pushing herself in front of Jason. "No, take me instead," Piper said in a deathly calm voice.

Jason wasn't going to let her do that. "Piper, no. Octavian! I'm the one you want!"

Octavian scowled. "If you two don't stop it, I'll take you both!"

Next to them, Leo threw a giant bronze wrench. Octavian stepped over a toy snake (Why that was there Jason didn't know) and came closer to them. "Come to think of it, that's a grand idea. Since banishing doesn't work, and I'm sure you'd escape anything else I'd make to contain you,"

Octavian raised his staff. Jason grabbed onto Piper, who was shaking from the effort it was taking to stand. They braced themselves for what was to come. Jason closed his eyes and pulled Piper against him for one last time.

A loud clang forced Jason to open his eyes again. He looked to see Octavian fall to the ground in a daze, with Reyna holding the butt of her sword where Jason was sure had previously been Octavian's head. She twirled her sword and smirked, soaking wet.

"Put him in there, Percy." Reyna ordered.

Percy obliged and opened his hand, revealing the toy snake Jason had seen earlier. He ran his finger down it's coiled body, and Octavian's body began to turn into green dust that flowed into the snake's open mouth.

"What are you going to do with it?" Jason asked.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really know the significance of this toy snake in the first place, so I guess it's up to you two." Percy walked over and handed the snake to Piper.

Piper handed it back. "No, I know the perfect place for this to go. You and Annabeth could go together, take a little break from work. Take it to the middle of the ocean and drop it in. Give Octavian a taste of his own medicine."

Percy handled the toy delicately. "Okay, if that's what you want. But I don't have to take orders from you anymore!" Percy said mischievously.

Piper laughed. "Very funny. Now go take a vacation!"

Percy ran off with the snake and went out the doors excitedly. Reyna cautiously approached Leo, and Jason sat Piper down in his father's throne and stood by her.

"Are you okay?" Reyna asked Leo.

"Am I okay? You're the one that nearly drowned! I was so wor-"

Reyna leaned over and kissed Leo, cutting him off.

"Told you so…" Piper mumbled under her breath.

Jason laughed, surprising himself. He was happy that they were happy. And he was happy that he had this moment to keep in his memories. "I guess you did," Jason said.

"Hey! This might have escaped your notice, but I am _dying_ over here! I'm going to have to scrub my mouth for _days_!" Thalia complained. Jason looked over to see a very dazed Leo.

"Leo? Can I get your help over here? These chains need broken," Jason asked.

Leo looked over vaguely. "Uh, what? Oh! Oh yeah, I can do that.' Leo pulled a few tools from his belt and went to work. As soon as he was done, Thalia jumped up and raced towards the nearest bathroom, gagging the whole way.

Piper motioned with her hands. "Come here, Sparky. I want my happy ending to the day also!"

Instead, Jason picked Piper up bridal style, then pushed her against a piece of wall that hadn't been destructed in Leo and Octavian's duel.

"Me first," Jason whispered. Then he kissed her sweetly, embracing the moment while it lasted.

* * *

**Thank you for all reviews, favorites, and follows!**


	20. A Change In Social Status

The next day, Piper sat beside Jason as they waited for King Jupiter to emerge from his room and make his way to the dining room. They couldn't go to the hall since it was undergoing reconstruction. The normal royals sat at the table, plus Percy and Annabeth since they helped out with the battle last night.

After all the excitement ended last night, they had gone down to the dungeons and released all of the people Octavian had taken prisoner. King Jupiter had been very ashamed, and Jason told Piper that his pride had probably been hurt and it would take a while for him to recover.

Everyone who had wanted to stay in the palace guest rooms were allowed to, so Piper had stayed in her room for one last night. Now that she wasn't a princess, they didn't know what would happen. Jason couldn't marry her anymore than Reyna could marry Leo. But then again, Queen Bellona could change the rules for her kingdom, where Jupiter wouldn't.

The King walked into the dining room forcefully. Everyone looked up and addressed Jupiter as was proper then sat down again. King Jupiter sat in his chair at the end of the table, scanning everyone present as he did.

Jupiter's eyes focused on Piper, and she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She nervously smoothed her dark green dress. "Piper, what are your plans now?"

Piper sighed in relief. She thought that she was going to get punished for faking royalty. "Um, I haven't really given thought to it, your highness. I suppose go back to my home."

"Which is?"

"It's a building outside town. A few friends of mine and me watch over the orphan children of the city. We used to live in a building that was crumbling, but now we have a new rebuilt one, thanks to Leo." Piper explained. Across the table, Leo flushed and focused on building things out of silverware.

Jupiter nodded, and turned his gaze to Reyna. "And Princess Reyna?"

Reyna held her chin up confidently. "I have plans with Leo to research his past, see if he has any royal blood in him. So I won't be staying here for much longer."

"Thalia?" King Jupiter asked his daughter.

Thalia looked up from her plate. "Yes, father?"

"Have you chosen someone to marry yet?"

Thalia reached under her seat and slammed a large book on the table. She had apparently been expecting this question. She flipped to a page she had bookmarked, and spoke to the King. "No, I haven't. But I don't have to, according to this law."

Jupiter leaned forward in interest. "And what is this law?"

Thalia smiled, and put her finger on the page and read out loud. "Section C, law four hundred and forty-two: If the rightful King declares no proper suitor for the rightful eldest daughter to assume the throne, he may deem that she remain unmarried and rule the kingdom alone when he has deceased. Her heir to the throne may be decided by her decision on who is worthy."

Jupiter sat back again, letting the words sink in. Piper waited anxiously for his verdict. If there was a law permitting Thalia to stay single, then there had to be something that would allow Piper to marry Jason. It would only make sense.

Jupiter sighed. "Alright, Thalia. You're free. But I do wish you would at least _try_ to find someone to help you."

"Yes, father. Thank you." Thalia closed the book and put it under her chair. Everyone's eyes turned to Jason. It was his turn.

Jason glanced at Piper. "You're wondering my future plans?" Jason looked at Thalia. "Did you happen to find a rule allowing a non-royal and a royal to get married?"

Thalia shook her head sadly. "No, I couldn't find a loophole in that one anywhere. It's a shame too, I really like Piper," Thalia smiled at Piper from across the table. "I'm sorry, Jason."

"Father, you're the King! You can change these laws, can't you?" Jason said desperately. Piper grabbed his hand under the table.

"Yes, I can. But I'm not going to." King Jupiter said firmly.

Jason stood from the table angrily, and Piper lost her hold on his hand. "Why not?" he said fiercely.

"Because if I change one law, then people will expect me to change others without valid reasons. Piper may be the one for you, but it's not a life or death situation not to marry her. I can't change the law, Jason. You're of royal blood, you have to understand that things must stay the same."

Jason pulled Piper up from the table gently so he wouldn't hurt her ankle that was wrapped up. "Then I'm not a royal anymore. Come on, Piper."

Piper followed him out of the dining hall quietly. Jason shut the door, and held out his arm for her to have support as she walked up the stairs. Instead of taking his arm, she hit him on the shoulder.

"Are you stupid? What were you thinking? You can't give up your place as prince just for me! Go back there right now and apologize to your father." Piper scolded.

Jason rubbed his shoulder, then ran a hand through his hair. "Piper, I can't. And I won't. Please just try to understand me, okay? I won't stay here in this stupid palace if you can't be here with me. So I'll go with you." Jason said. He grabbed Piper's arm, and she reluctantly followed him up the stairs to his room. Piper was silent until she sat down on his bed and he started packing his stuff up.

"Jason, I can't let you do this. I'm taking so much away from you," Piper pleaded.

He ignored her and finished packing a small bag. Jason latched it and sat beside Piper. He put his hands on hers. "You're not taking anything. I'm giving it away. It'll be fine, I promise. Now let's go to this new building Leo made for your friends!" Jason smiled at her.

Piper couldn't resist, she smiled back. "Okay, okay. Fine. But one last request for our final time in the palace. I want to see your crown."

"Okay? It's just a stupid piece of gold with jewels in it. Don't know what's so special about that," Jason mumbled. But he got up and walked over to his desk all the same. He opened a drawer, and quietly cursed.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked curiously. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't walk without support just yet.

Jason looked up while grabbing a delicate wrapped up box. "Nothing. I just almost forgot something, that's all." he assured. He placed the box into his bag and reached into the drawer again, this time pulling out something gold. He walked over and handed it to Piper.

Piper examined it. It was made of gold (obviously) with four sharp but rounded points sticking up on each end of the circle, the biggest being in the front. Engraved into the gold around stormy colored jewels were lightning bolts. Jason's crown was completely different compared to Thalia's, which was a silver with blue jewels, and had no points.

"Wow, it's beautiful! Why didn't you ever wear it?" Piper exclaimed.

Jason shrugged. "I don't know. Just didn't feel right. You can bring it if you want it, it belongs to me. Each royal has one specially made for them when they are a baby."

Piper carefully placed the crown next to her on the bed, then hugged Jason. "Thank you! It'll remind us of our days here together."

Jason laughed. "Now let's get going, before everyone finds us."

* * *

In short, Leo's antipoverty building was incredible.

He had made tools that worked on the building at all times automatically, so over the course of excitement that Octavian had caused, the building was finished. Piper and Jason were helping everyone move in, so they had plenty of time to get to know it since they left the palace a week ago.

It was a replica of the original building ten times the size, so that almost every kid had their own room. It was easily the most magnificent building, next to the palace. It was surrounded by bronze colored stones, and it had real windows instead of cracks. There was even a flower garden and a playground.

Inside, the first two floors were identical except the first was blue themed and the second pink themed for different genders. A central room was in the middle, with individual rooms surrounding it. The third and forth floors belonged to the caretakers. They resembled the children's floors, though the rooms were much bigger, with two on each floor. The theme of the central rooms were blank, and a set of paints where sitting in each one, and only Piper understood why. She was to decorate them by painting murals of their adventures.

All the children were moved in by now, leaving the caretakers to have their turn. Travis, Katie and Will took the third floor rooms, leaving Piper, Jason and Connor to have the fourth floor. There wasn't much to move, as Jason only had his one bag, and Piper had her spare few things left not ruined by Will.

Piper's makeshift furniture didn't even have to be taken, Leo had overachieved and put brand new actual furniture in the building. Along with that, he had given them seeds for farming and a nice stash of money, clothes, blankets, and many other luxury items. Leo had even brought all of Piper's princess clothes to her.

Piper was hanging up her dresses in the closet when Jason walked into their room. He had a bundle of deep red sheets in his arms. He threw them on the bed and leaned against the stone wall by her.

"Leo brought those for us straight from the palace storage," Jason said casually.

Piper sighed. "He should really stop taking things from there. Even if he insists that they technically belong to you. Is he here now?"

"Yeah, Reyna came too. They're downstairs in the girls dormitories. I think they've come to say goodbye. They're leaving sometime tomorrow on Leo's ship he built." Jason said.

"What?" Piper exclaimed. Leo had been working on a magnificent ship that he called the Argo II for the last week nonstop. He, Reyna, Percy, and Annabeth were going to set sail to drop Octavian in the ocean and investigate Leo's parentage. But Piper hadn't expected them to leave this soon!

She threw the deep blue dress she had been holding on the floor and sprinted down to the second floor. Reyna and Leo were talking vividly to a dirty blonde ten-year old named Celia. Celia seen Piper and pointed, directing their attention to her.

"Leo! Reyna!" Piper yelled as she ran over to them. She hugged them both, then backed up into Jason, who had followed her down. "Leaving so soon? Aren't you forgetting something, Leo?"

Reyna looked at Leo expectantly. "What are you forgetting?" she demanded.

Leo raised his hands. "I don't know! What, Piper?"

"I still have my last wish! Head in the clouds much?" Piper said exasperatedly.

Leo pointed to Reyna. "It's her fault for being so distracting!"

That earned him a smack from Reyna. "I'm going up to see the others. Come on, Jason. Piper and Leo have business to finish." Reyna said and motioned to the staircase. Piper smiled encouragingly to Jason, and they went to the third floor.

Leo shifted his feet and messed with his tool belt. "So, uh, what were you thinking for your wish? Is it really what you said at Hazel's that one day?"

Piper laughed and ignored his question. "We just have to go to Hazel's jewelry shop first, okay?"

* * *

**Thank you, lovely, amazing people for all the support (: **

**There will be 22 chapters in this story, so 2 more left! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO or Aladdin**


	21. Leo's Freedom

The shop bell dinged. Piper and Leo walked in, and Hazel emerged from the back room looking very tired. She sat on a stool on the other side of the counter and rested her head on her knuckles.

"Hey, Leo. What brings you here? I've been up since last night working on something for a customer, so I'm sorry if I fall asleep on you," Hazel said sleepily.

Piper approached the counter. "So, I have a gift for the both of you," Piper started. That got Hazel's attention. She lifted her head up and looked straight at Piper. Even Leo looked up from the gears and nuts he had been putting together.

"Go on," Hazel said slowly.

Piper folded her hands on the counter. "Leo, I'm staying true to what I told you. For my third wish, I want you to be free of your curse."

Leo's jaw dropped. "You're serious? I'm free?"

Piper nodded. "You are both free."

Leo threw his hands in the air, making a rainfall of nuts and gears. "Good gods almighty! Hallelujah, I'm free! Flame Boy is back, baby!" As if to prove his point, Leo's fingers danced with flames joyfully.

Hazel jumped over the counter and hugged Piper fiercely with tears in her eyes. "You are an amazing person, Piper. Thank you so, so much. Now I can see Frank again!" Hazel pulled away. "Wait, before I get called away, I have something to give you!" Hazel said. Then she jumped over the counter and went into the back room again.

Piper looked over by Leo, who was happily singing and building a fire out of jewelry cases. In his hand he held the bronze hammer that he hated so much. Hazel came back with a tiny box the was wrapped tightly in purple paper. She handed it to Piper.

"Don't open it, okay? It is Jason's order, but I won't be here long enough for him to come pick it up, so I'm trusting you to deliver it. No peeking!" Hazel warned.

Piper placed the box in the pocket of her dress. "I won't, I promise." Piper had an idea of what was in that box, but she wasn't go to say anything.

Hazel beamed. "I can't thank you enough for this. You'd think that living for a long time without ever ageing would be fun, but after a while, it gets old- no pun intended."

Piper opened her mouth to respond, but Leo's yells of joy interrupted. Piper and Hazel looked over to him, and he was dancing around the fire like some crazy person, watching the bronze hammer slowly melt.

"Burn, baby, burn!" He cried loudly. So loudly, that the people passing by were staring in the window curiously. "I'm coming home, Reyna! I'm a free man!"

Hazel looked at Piper in question. "Who's Reyna?"

"His girlfriend. You probably know her as Princess Reyna. She's the daughter of Queen Bellona," Piper answered.

A look of comprehension dawned on Hazel's face. "The leader of the rebels? She's courting…Leo? What happened there? I'd never have put them two together!"

Piper shrugged. "Love is surprising," she said. Suddenly, Hazel's figure shimmered. "Hazel! You're fading!"

"Finally," Hazel said as she shimmered once more. "Goodbye, Piper. I wish you luck with your love life,"

Hazel hurried over to Leo. She hugged him, the tears welling up quickly in her eyes. "Bye, Leo. I'll miss you. Be good to Reyna, she's good for you. Have the happy ending that I couldn't give you, okay?"

"Why do you have to leave?" Leo asked.

"Because I've already died. You were there, Leo. I was only here to be punished for my crimes. I have no reason to be here anymore, my work is done," Hazel explained. Her form began to shimmer violently, and she gave them both one last smile. "Thank you, I'll never forget you guys."

Piper choked down a sob. Sure, she wasn't very close to Hazel, but the way she expressed her gratitude and was overly nice was unforgettable. She reminded Piper of the people in Queen Demeter's farming town, where everybody treated everybody like family, even if they barely knew them. "Goodbye, have a nice trip," Piper managed.

Then Hazel disappeared from thin air. There was nothing left of her, not even the jewelry shop. Every display and piece of jewelry was gone, and the shop seemed oddly bare without the abundance of purple. Leo stood staring at the place where Hazel had last been.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye!" Leo said in a sad voice. Then he started to examine the empty shop. "Do you think I could modify this and make it my own?"

Despite her sadness, Piper laughed. "That reminds me. Someday we'll have to take a trip with Festus to Queen Demeter's town. Festus met a blacksmith there and I think they'd like to meet again."

"What were you doing there?" Leo asked as he walked out the door.

Piper followed. "Festus broke down and we needed someone to fix him. You weren't exactly available, you know!"

Leo frowned at first, but then he smiled that crazy maniac smile that always made Piper worry. "Hey, at least I got a babysitter now!"

Piper drug Leo through the thick afternoon crowd. They stumbled until they got to the end of the road, where less people were about. Piper turned to Leo. "Have you taken Reyna on a romantic dragon ride yet?" she asked in an amused voice.

"Yes I have, thank you very much. And it was very romantic. Until Festus decided to break down anyways…but that's another story. But it went great!" Leo said proudly.

They started walking back to the building. "Leo, what are you going to do if you don't have any royal blood in your family line?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know. We've briefly talked about it. Reyna's got an older sister, Hylla, that will get the kingdom anyway. I don't know if Reyna would like commoner life. She would be losing a lot of power. Why didn't you two look up your family line to see if you had any royal blood?" Leo asked in return.

"Because I don't know who my parents were. They died when I was really young, I can't remember!" Piper said in response. She didn't like talking about her old family. She had a new one now, so why worry about that one?

"My mom died too," Leo protested. "And I don't know who my dad was!"

Piper sighed. "Yes, but you know your mother's name, which can be traceable. Sorry Leo, it just wouldn't work out. Anyways, we're happy where we are."

"Yeah, I know. Just wondering, that's all," Leo said dejectedly.

Piper knew it bothered him that he couldn't make things work out after all the work he put into her second wish. But honestly, Piper was perfectly okay with the way they did. Piper and Jason were happy. They had a house, friends, and the power to change things without being royals. Being royal was just a title, it didn't make them any different.

Soon, they arrived at the building. Leo and Piper found Jason and Reyna on the third floor talking to Katie. They were in Katie and Travis's room, lounging on the furniture.

"Please come back and visit once you've sorted everything out, Reyna! At least for the wedding, okay?" Katie was saying.

Reyna laughed. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it. And Jason still has yet to tell me the date of his," Reyna said slyly.

"Jason still has yet to propose," Piper said as she leaned against the doorframe. She reached into her dress pocket and tossed the box to Jason, who was sitting on a couch. Jason caught it, and put it into his own pocket as if nothing happened.

It didn't escape everyone's attention though. Reyna pressed on. "You haven't proposed yet, Jason?"

Jason flushed, but kept his head. "What about you, Reyna? Don't you have a wedding coming up?"

Leo jumped between them. "Woah, man. That's not cool, what you did there. We have business to attend first! Like royal stuff. Don't point out my faults, Mr. Hypocrite!"

"You know, I think we need a going away party for you guys!" Katie intervened. "A proper one. You can set back your adventure another day, can't you? Just tell the others. Invite them too! I want to meet this Percy and Annabeth," Katie said.

"Can we invite anyone we want?" Conner asked as he went through Travis's stuff and took what he thought looked interested.

Katie nodded. "Sure, invite anyone!"

The others went on talking about the party and making arrangements. Piper caught eye contact with Jason, and they left the room and went to their own. Jason pushed the sheets he had brought up earlier off the bed and collapsed on it. Piper resumed hanging up her dresses.

"Jason, what dress should I wear to the party?" Piper said as she shuffled through the rack.

Jason got up from the bed and joined her at the closet. "The purple one," he said confidently.

Piper pulled it out. "This one? What's so special about it?"

Jason walked over to his bag and pulled out the parcel he had grabbed back at the palace. "Well, it's the dress I met you in when you declared yourself a princess," he said. Then he stood behind her, and Piper could hear him unwrapping the parcel. "Close your eyes." he whispered.

Piper closed them. She felt Jason lay something on her chest, and mess with something in the back. He pulled her hair out from under it and let it gracefully tumble down her shoulders. She heard Jason come from behind her and stand in front.

"Now open your eyes," Jason instructed.

Piper obeyed and looked at the mysterious object. She gasped. It was the necklace she had spent forever looking at in the window of Hazel's jewelry shop. Piper lifted it with her hands, and felt engravings on the back. She read them in excitement.

_Piper, My Love _was on the top, then on the bottom it read _-Sparky_. Piper's eyes welled up with tears of happiness. "Oh, J-Jason," she stuttered.

Jason grabbed her face and kissed her sweetly. "And this matches the purple dress perfectly. That's why you should wear it."

* * *

**Thanks for absolutely everything! Almost done (:**


	22. Same, But Different

The party was nearly ready. Banners and confetti were spread everywhere on the third and fourth floor central rooms. Small tables of snacks and drinks were randomly placed against the walls. They were dressed up. All that was missing were the guests.

Piper shut her bedroom door, and leaned out the window, thinking of how she used to do the same thing in a completely different building. The difference was that she wasn't dreaming about something better, like living in the palace. Piper was perfectly happy where she was now, but sometimes she needed a break, and the cool evening air did just the trick.

Four stories down, Piper could hear Jason talking to Will at the entrance. Piper hadn't really expected them to hate each other, it wasn't in either of their natures to do such a thing, but she was surprised at how well they got along. She supposed that they worked in the same way that she and Reyna did.

Piper sighed and twirled her way to the mirror. She stared at herself in it, and no matter how hard she tried the woman she seen staring back at her was not the one she had been before her adventures. Piper was wearing the same dress, had her hair curled in the same way, and was even wearing makeup, but she still couldn't see that image she had seen in her dagger two weeks ago. Piper convinced herself it was the necklace Jason had given her, delicately laying on her chest, but in her heart she knew it wasn't the answer.

Piper heard the sound of commotion out in the circular hall. _The party must have started_, she thought to herself. Piper smiled confidently at the woman in the mirror, and she smiled back. Then Piper strode to the door and opened it, revealing herself to the going away party.

"Hello!" Piper said cheerfully to Percy and Annabeth, who were standing by the punch bowl.

"Piper!" Annabeth exclaimed, "This is a really nice place! I glad I won't have to worry about you while I'm gone now, you'll be perfectly safe here!" Annabeth said.

Piper talked to them for a while, then continued moving through the stream of people, making small talk, and moving again. Before Piper realized it, it was late night and the younger children hadn't been put to bed yet.

Sensing her escape, Piper stumbled down the stairs and into the second floor where the girls lived. Piper gently talked to each one and lured them to sleep in their own rooms. Piper arrived upon the last room and quietly opened the door. Surprisingly, the resident was already asleep.

Piper tip-toed over to her bed, and kneeled down. It was Celia, the girl Reyna and Leo had taken such a liking to. Celia opened her eyes sleepily.

"Is something wrong, Piper?" she asked, her brown eyes widening.

Piper laid her hand on Celia's forehead. "No, I was just checking on you, that's all. Did you put yourself to bed?"

The girl shook her head, still laying on the pillow. "No, Reyna came down. I like her," Celia said.

Piper stood and walked to the door. "I'm glad you do. Now go back to sleep, I'm sorry I bothered you," Piper apologized. She shut the door and made her way to the first floor.

Reyna had astounded Piper yet again. She would have never thought Reyna would've left the party and came down here just to put one child to sleep. It was things like this that led Piper to wondering why Jason chose her instead of Reyna.

The boys were a little more energetic than the girls had been. It took a lot of patience and persuasion to finally get them settled down and into bed. After about twenty agonizing minutes, Piper closed the door of the last room and blew out the candles in the hall.

Piper made her way to the staircase and seen Jason sitting on the bottom step. Piper smoothed the purple dress and sat beside him. "What are you doing here?" Piper asked.

"You're missing the party, so I decided to give you some company," Jason said.

Piper smiled. "Well, thanks," she said. "I was going back up there once I was done though."

Jason got up and stood in front of her. "You can in a minute. But first, I have to do something."

Piper laughed and looked into his sky blue eyes that were shining, despite the lack of light. "Okay, what?"

Jason pulled out a tiny box. Piper recognized it even without the purple wrapping, it was the box Hazel had given her yesterday. Jason got on one knee, and Piper knew exactly what was coming.

"Piper, will you marry me?" Jason asked. Then he took the top of the box, revealing a very unique ring. Piper gasped. It matched her necklace perfectly! A small kaleidoscopic jewel sat in the middle of the silver and gold laced ring.

Piper didn't answer Jason's question. She didn't have to. Piper tumbled of the stairs and wrapped her arms around Jason's neck and kissed him. They landed softly on the ground on top of each other.

The kaleidoscopic ring clattered to the ground as Jason let go of it and entangled his hands in her hair.

* * *

Two years later, Jason lay down beside his wife on the grass in the backyard. They watched the clouds stray across the sky while listening to the sound of the orphans play.

They were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Jason thought of how far they'd come since they had first met.

The building had changed its name to Bunker 9, courtesy of Leo. Leo and Reyna had traveled for about half a year searching and digging up information on Leo's parentage. After a lot of hard work, they'd come across his father, who happened to be the deceased King Hephaestus. They had gone back to Reyna's home with the new information, and after a little persuasion (and a few death threats), Reyna and Leo had been allowed to marry. They still visited Bunker 9 occasionally, letting Celia- who they had later adopted, hang out with her friends.

Conner and Will had found love and promptly moved out of Bunker 9. Conner married Lacy, a girl who worked in a dress shop, and they now lived in a different kingdom where Lacy could own her own place. Will had married a girl from Queen Demeter's kingdom, Miranda, and resided there now. Katie and Travis still lived in the same kingdom, they just had their own house, leaving Jason and Piper to have Bunker 9 all to themselves.

Back at the palace, Thalia was preparing herself for being a Queen. She worked all the time, traveled everywhere, and even made new deals with neighboring kingdoms. Once Thalia was Queen, she had decided to join her kingdom with Queen Artemis's. Thalia had also introduced at Jason's request, a thing called friendliness to the city people.

Meanwhile, Jason and Piper had been busy leading Bunker 9. They searched the city for abandoned children vigorously, and soon mostly every city person knew what to do if they seen one. Parents could rest assured that if something ever happened to them, they children would be in safe hands. Sometimes children from other kingdoms even showed up at the door.

In their free time, Piper painted the walls with murals. They were beautiful, displaying ever adventure ever taken by them, and new ones too, depending on the requests of the children. The pictures made it easier for Jason to tell bedtime stories too, as the children could actually visualize being there. Jason didn't miss his old life as a prince, no matter how amazing the stories sounded as he retold them.

Jason stared at Piper. Jason and Piper had long decided against having children, since they were busy with the orphans, but the growing bump on Piper's stomach as she lay on her back opposed them. And Jason wasn't upset about this. It overjoyed him that they would have proof of the strong love they shared.

Piper turned her gaze from the sky and found Jason's eyes on her. She smiled, her kaleidoscopic eyes flashing in the sunlight. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Jason slipped his arm behind her head. "Everything, quite honestly. But mostly about our bright future together."

"I love you," Piper said softly.

Jason leaned close to her. "I love you too, Piper Grace," Jason responded.

Then they kissed, and Jason knew he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**The End!**

**I couldn't find a proper way to end this story, and I was kinda procrastinating it anyways...I'm sad to see the end of this one!**

**Anyways, on a happier note, I'm writing two more stories at a time. Keep in mind, this means my regular updating schedule will alternate between the two, so less updates. One is like the others I've written, but with Leyna- so I hope you support them. The other is Jasper again, but it's not my regular writing plots!**

**As for the plot on the first- I guess you'll just have to wait and see! **

**Again, thank you for all your support throughout this story! Hope to see you again soon!**


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